A surprise contribution to views on AI comes from the Vatican. On February 28, Rome Call for AI Ethics was issued. The paper calls for AI to be developed with a focus on the “good of humanity and of the environment, of our common and shared home and of its human inhabitants”. AI, the Call provides, should be regulated by principles that protect people and natural environments. Ethics should be in the design of AI, and in order to reach ethical design, the following are required:
“1. Transparency: in principle, AI systems must be explainable;
2. Inclusion: the needs of all human beings must be taken into consideration so that everyone
can benefit and all individuals can be offered the best possible conditions to express
themselves and develop;
3. Responsibility: those who design and deploy the use of AI must proceed with responsibility
and transparency;
4. Impartiality: do not create or act according to bias, thus safeguarding fairness and human
dignity;
5. Reliability: AI systems must be able to work reliably;
6. Security and privacy: AI systems must work securely and respect the privacy of users.”
I note that commentary in the paper includes the statement that each person should be aware when they are interacting with a machine–something that I suggested in Collected Principles of AI Regulation. An additional interesting thought in the paper is the possibility that new forms of automation and algorithmic activity might necessitate the development of stronger responsibilities. Presumably that would be effected through enhanced regulation.
I think we all look forward to the application of these principles in the first self-driving popemobile.
Viene la tormenta! 