Pope Francis has called for an international treaty to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), warning that we risk falling into the spiral of a “technological dictatorship”.

In his annual message for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace on 1 January, the pope made the technology the focal point of his statement, entitling the message “Artificial Intelligence and Peace”.

The letter is traditionally sent to world leaders and heads of institutions like the United Nations.

In the letter, he writes of “the progress of science and technology as a path to peace” before diving into the promise and risk of AI.

In a pointed statement to lawmakers, he writes: “The global scale of artificial intelligence makes it clear that, alongside the responsibility of sovereign states to regulate its use internally, international organisations can play a decisive role in reaching multilateral agreements and coordinating their application and enforcement.

“In this regard, I urge the global community of nations to work together in order to adopt a binding international treaty that regulates the development and use of artificial intelligence in its many forms.”

He notes that “the goal of regulation, naturally, should not only be the prevention of harmful practices but also the encouragement of best practices, by stimulating new and creative approaches and encouraging individual or group initiatives.”

“This process of ethical and juridical discernment can prove a precious opportunity for shared reflection on the role that technology should play in our individual and communal lives, and how its use can contribute to the creation of a more equitable and humane world,” Francis states.

“For this reason, in debates about the regulation of artificial intelligence, the voices of all stakeholders should be taken into account, including the poor, the powerless and others who often go unheard in global decision-making processes.”

While praising AI’s potential for advancing developments, the pope warns that “by proposing to overcome every limit through technology, in an obsessive desire to control everything, we risk losing control over ourselves.”

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