Pope Francis to advocate for ethical AI at G7 summit in Italy

April 27 (UPI) -- Pope Francis will attend the upcoming G7 conference in Italy, a session dedicated to artificial intelligence, where he will speak about the importance of ethics in the burgeoning world of AI, the Vatican says.

Francis will serve as an intervener at the G7 summit, which is set to take place in Borgo Egnazia in Italy's southern Puglia region between June 13 and 15, the Vatican confirmed in a statement Friday.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pre-empted the Vatican statement, publicly confirming Francis' attendance in a video statement issued Friday.

"Pope Francis will take part in the work of the G7 precisely in the session devoted to Artificial Intelligence," she said.

Francis will become the first pope in history to attend a G7 summit.

The 87-year-old has long been an advocate for ethical AI. Last December, the pope called for a binding international treaty regulating artificial intelligence's development and advancement, warning it could lead to a "technological dictatorship" if left unchecked.

In 2020, the Pontifical Academy for Life signed on as a party to the Rome Call for AI Ethics of 2020, along with major tech players Microsoft and IBM. The Italian government's goal is to promote an ethical approach to artificial intelligence.

"The G7 will face what many, and not wrongly, believe to be the greatest anthropological challenge of this era, namely the advent of artificial intelligence, a technology that can generate great opportunities but which also brings with it enormous benefits. risks, as well as inevitably affecting global balances," Meloni said in the video statement.

"It is a challenge that none of us can think of facing alone and I believe that it is essential to valorize the best of the ethical and intellectual reflection that is developing in this area," she added. "I heartily thank the Holy Father for having accepted Italy's invitation. His presence gives prestige to our nation, to the entire G7."