National

Pope Francis meets with Trudeau, warns leaders to approach AI responsibly

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Jun, 2024 10:38 AM

Pope Francis met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday at the G7 summit, where the pontiff warned leaders about the dangers of artificial intelligence and counselled them to centre humanity in its development.

Today I had the honour of meeting with His Holiness, @Pontifex.

I thanked His Holiness for taking up the work of Reconciliation, and I advocated for the next step — returning cultural artefacts from the Vatican to Indigenous Peoples in Canada. pic.twitter.com/sXl1FTQAif
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 14, 2024

Francis became the first pope to address G7 leaders, offering an ethical take on an issue that is increasingly on the agenda of international summits, government policy and corporate boards alike.

Leaders of outreach countries, who arrived at the summit on Friday, also attended the address. Among those leaders were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentine President Javier Milei and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

That marked the first time the Canadian and Indian leaders have been in the same room since Trudeau accused Modi's government of being involved in the killing of a Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia.

Trudeau made the shocking revelation in the House of Commons last September. Four Indian nationals have since been arrested and charged with Nijjar's murder.

Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools are always made by humans and not machines.

"We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people's ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines," he said.

"We need to ensure and safeguard a space for proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programs: Human dignity itself depends on it."

Francis was invited to attend the second day of the summit in Apulia, Italy, by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Trudeau met with Francis before his address Friday afternoon. The prime minister was expected to speak to him about advancing reconciliation and advocate for the return of Indigenous artifacts held in the Vatican Museum.

The first day of the summit was dominated by news that the leaders will deliver a US$50-billion loan to Ukraine using interest earned on profits from Russia's frozen central bank assets as collateral.

Canada, for its part, has promised to pitch in up to $5 billion toward the loan.

Trudeau met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday morning and was scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later in the day.

Trudeau was in a working session on migration in the morning while leaders will hold a working luncheon on the Indo-Pacific and economic security.

Migration is a priority for summit host Italy and its right-wing government, which is seeking to increase investment and funding for African nations as a means of reducing migratory pressure on Europe.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Canada gains on U.S. in permanent resident race

It's a record that will likely be beaten more than once in the coming years, as a Canadian federal immigration plan released earlier this month aims to admit 465,000 new permanent residents in 2023 and 500,000 a year by 2025, with a particular focus on bringing in people with needed skills and experience.

Canada gains on U.S. in permanent resident race

How $10-a-day child care is rolling out in Canada

British Columbia was the first to sign on, inking a $3.2-billion deal in July 2021 with plans to create 30,000 new child-care spaces within five years and 40,000 within seven years. B.C. started a $10-a-day program at select facilities in 2018 and plans to double those spaces to 12,500 this month.

How $10-a-day child care is rolling out in Canada

B.C. public school teachers ratify new contract

It boosts annual salaries for new teachers as much as $8,500 by the end of the third year while B.C.'s highest-paid educators will earn up to $13,500 more over the same period, which Johnston says pushes them above the $100,000-per-year threshold for the first time.

B.C. public school teachers ratify new contract

Arctic cold descends on parts of B.C.

Arctic outflow warnings have been posted for B.C.’s central and northern coasts, with the wind chill predicted at minus 20. Special weather statements are also up for most of Vancouver Island and the south coast, with icy conditions and wind chills near minus 10.

Arctic cold descends on parts of B.C.

Street drugs kill another 179 people in B.C.

The coroner says the October statistics show that illicit drugs caused the deaths of 1,827 people in B.C. in the first 10 months of this year. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says the increased toxicity and variability of street drugs has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk.

Street drugs kill another 179 people in B.C.

Metro Vancouver storm creates traffic chaos

Several crashes blocked the Alex Fraser Bridge, one of the main arteries over the Fraser River. The route was closed for hours in both directions over safety concerns, the government said.