The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) established a task force on artificial intelligence, the conference announced on Wednesday, September 16.
The task force was created in response to Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical about artificial intelligence. The USCCB’s Administrative Committee met Wednesday with “representatives from a variety of tech firms and specialists in the area of artificial intelligence”, said a release from the conference.
“The dialogue focused on ways to keep any system of Artificial Intelligence at the service of humanity and the urgent need to address the real and present dangers such technology present,” said a statement released by the USCCB’s spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi.
The statement continued: “Recent events have only emphasised the great need for action by everyone involved. The bishops expressed hope that such conversations will help to identify ways the Church can contribute to the moral foundation of AI models and steps the companies can take to protect against misuse of their inventions and to guarantee human oversight of the technology.”
The USCCB also discussed “how the Church and industry can work together toward the goal of ensuring that technology is used in ways that keep it human-centred, respecting the dignity of each person, and benefitting all – poor and rich alike.”
The USCCB’s Administrative Committee functions as a board of directors of the conference and consists of the USCCB’s officers, chairmen of the standing committees and a representative from each of the 15 episcopal regions of the United States, said the release.
Following the meeting, the USCCB’s Administrative Committee created the “Task Force on Preserving Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, which will be led by Bishop Oscar Cantu of San Jose, California.
The rest of the membership of the task force has not yet been determined, said the USCCB, but “the group will focus on promoting policies and practices that protect human dignity, religious liberty, democratic institutions, workers, families, and vulnerable populations.”
Later, more than a dozen bishops then met with members of Congress, “urging for the enactment of meaningful safety guardrails on Artificial Intelligence and to support legislation to protect children online,” said the USCCB.
