Vatican: AI-generated deepfakes can ‘undermine the foundations of society’
A document released Tuesday by the Vatican outlines ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence and issued a warning that the technology could “undermine the foundations of society.”
In the document, Pope Francis highlighted the risks associated with AI. It comes just a day after a new Chinese AI model, DeepSeek, shook up the industry.
As the use and capabilities of AI technology rapidly expand, Pope Francis argued that humans need to be more responsible about the tech and careful about its impact on various sectors going forward.
The Vatican noted that AI could be used “as an aid to human dignity” by helping people around the world with research and knowledge. But it also spotlighted the risks.
“On a broader scale, by distorting ‘our relationship with others and with reality,’ AI-generated fake media can gradually undermine the foundations of society,” the document said.
The Vatican said AI poses a serious risk of “manipulated content.” The use of deepfake videos has begun to infiltrate various sectors, including politics.
The advanced technology can generate images, audio and video, digitally altering a person’s likeness and voice. It’s rapidly developing and has left lawmakers scrambling to catch up.
The Vatican noted that mitigating the risks associated with the content can be “quite grave.”
The pope said the issue requires “careful regulation” to mitigate misinformation, political polarization and social unrest.
“As deepfakes cause people to question everything and AI-generated false content erodes trust in what they see and hear, polarization and conflict will only grow,” the Vatican said.
“Such widespread deception is no trivial matter; it strikes at the core of humanity, dismantling the foundational trust on which societies are built.”
Pope Francis in 2023 called for an international treaty to ensure artificial intelligence is developed and used ethically, arguing that the risks of technology lacking human values of compassion, mercy, morality and forgiveness are too great.
Earlier that year, an AI-generated image of him wearing a luxury white puffer jacket went viral, showing just how quickly realistic deepfake imagery can spread online.
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