These past two weeks have been eye-opening. I’m wrapping up a two-week visit to various cities in the US organised by the US Embassy to the Holy See on AI, as part of the decades-long running IVLP programme.
Over the course of these two weeks, with visits to DC, Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia, we met with regulators and policymakers from the federal, state, and municipal level. We also met with NGOs, business leaders, as well as healthcare and academic institutions. These meetings gave us a deep insight into how AI is affecting geopolitics, innovation, regulation and society as a whole.
The current stance of the US federal government to refrain from enacting legislation regarding AI was a point that came up in almost every meeting. While sometimes welcome, it was interesting to also hear a frequent desire expressed – even among those in business and tech – to introduce some form of minimum standards of safety and reliability, as well as to ensure sufficient control over one’s data.
The other issue beyond legislation was ethics. We saw institutions who are examples of best practice and leaders in AI ethics and governance – from the City of Seattle to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Others were maybe lagging behind, or even showed no concern for this issue. Interestingly, all enquired as to what the Church believes on AI and where does it ‘draw the line’. We had engaging discussions on agency, common good, justice and subsidiarity. It is amply clear that clear ethical direction is desired across tech, business, and policy when it comes to AI. And the Church has a vast repository of wisdom, reflection and experience to contribute to the debate.
I look forward to my next visit to the US. But in the meantime, this trip has made me more convinced of the role we need to play, and the necessity to carry on implementing AI literacy, and ethical frameworks within this field.