Pope decries 'crisis of truth' in AI after his own deepfake image
Pope Francis urged political, economic and business leaders to keep close oversight of AI
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The pope, who has been the victim of several viral deepfake images, has warned that artificial intelligence can exacerbate a growing "crisis of truth".
Pope Francis, in a message to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, urged political, economic and business leaders to keep close oversight of the development of AI.
In a written message, read to the annual meeting at the Swiss resort town, the pontiff said AI raises "critical concerns" about humanity's future. The forum is partly focusing on AI this year.
"The results that AI can produce are almost indistinguishable from those of human beings, raising questions about its effect on the growing crisis of truth in the public forum," Francis said.
"To navigate the complexities of AI, governments and businesses must exercise due diligence and vigilance," he said in the statement read on his behalf at the Davos meeting by Cardinal Peter Turkson, a Vatican official.
Francis, leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church since 2013, has focused on ethical issues surrounding artificial intelligence in recent years.
He spoke about the technology at the Group of Seven summit in Italy last June, and said people should not let algorithms decide their destiny.
He said that important decisions must “always be left to the human person”.
The Pope was the victim of a viral deepfake image in early 2024, created by an image generating program, which appeared to show him wearing an ankle-length white Balenciaga puffer coat.
It was an artificial intelligence rendering generated using the AI software Midjourney.
The Pope has also been pictured in deepfakes with Madonna, draped in a Pride flag and holding a parasol on a beach.
Francis alluded to the deepfake puffer coat image in a speech about AI in January where he warned about the impact of such images.