Pope Francis to weigh in on ‘ethical’ AI at G7 summit

Pope Francis to weigh in on ‘ethical’ AI at G7 summit
Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on June 12, 2024. (Ciro De Luca photo via REUTERS)
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Updated 13 June 2024
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Pope Francis to weigh in on ‘ethical’ AI at G7 summit

Pope Francis to weigh in on ‘ethical’ AI at G7 summit
  • While welcoming AI's potential to boost everything from medical research to economic and social wellbeing, Francis also warned of risks including disinformation and interference in elections, and that unequal access could increase social and economic ineq

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis will address G7 leaders on Friday on artificial intelligence, an unprecedented appearance that reflects the Vatican’s growing interest in the new technology, its risks and rewards.

The 87-year-old will become the first head of the Catholic Church to address a G7 summit when he speaks on the second day of the Puglia meeting, to an audience including US President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
The aging head of a 2,000-year-old institution is not perhaps the most obvious candidate to make a presentation on cutting-edge technology, but the pontiff sees AI as a key challenge for humanity.
“The Church always looks to humans as the center of its mission,” said Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan university professor and member of the UN’s AI advisory body, who directly advises the pope.
“From this perspective it is clear that the AI that interests the Church is not the technical tool, but how the tool can impact on the life of man,” he told AFP.
AI was the theme of the Church’s World Day of Peace on January 1, for which the pontiff published a six-page document.
In it, he welcomed advances in science and technology that have reduced human suffering — and Benanti said AI could act as a “multiplier,” boosting everything from medical research to economic and social wellbeing.
But the pope also warned of risks including disinformation and interference in elections, and that unequal access could increase social and economic inequalities.
Francis — who has himself been the subject of several AI-generated images, including a viral imagine showing him wearing a huge white puffer coat and a large crucifix — called for a binding international treaty to regulate the development and use of AI.
The goal would be to prevent harm and share good practice.




Pope Francis has cautioned that AI offers new freedoms but also the risk of a “technological dictatorship.” (AP/File)

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, whose capabilities range from digesting complex text to writing poems and computer code, governments have been scrambling to respond to the rapid growth of AI.
The European Union — which attends G7 summits as an unofficial eighth member — earlier this year approved the world’s first comprehensive rules to govern AI.
At a global level, G7 leaders in Japan last year announced a working group on AI’s “responsible” use, tackling issues from copyright to disinformation.
Hosts Italy have made AI a key issue of this year’s summit, which will focus on a “human-centered approach,” particularly its potential impact on jobs, according to a government source.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in April that the pope’s presence would “make a decisive contribution to defining a regulatory, ethical and cultural framework.”
The Vatican has brought in a range of experts to help its understanding, including Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, whom it named to its scientific academy in March.
In 2020, it also initiated the Call for AI Ethics, backed by tech firms Microsoft and IBM and later Cisco as well as numerous universities and the UN, designed to promote an ethical approach.

The pope’s address on Friday is likely to call for “attention to be paid to the most vulnerable,” said Eric Salobir, a French priest and head of the executive committee of the Human Technology Foundation.
It would be a call to G7 leaders to take “into account the risks and (draw up) regulation without being alarmist,” he told AFP.

Francis, who has championed the poorest and most marginalized people in society since taking office in 2013, has cautioned that AI offers new freedoms but also the risk of a “technological dictatorship.”
He warned about the dangers of using AI to make important decisions — from social security payments to where to aim autonomous weapons — for which responsibility becomes blurred.
“The pope seems to have a sort of antenna that allows him to perceive where humanity experiences the situations of greatest challenge to itself,” Benanti said.

But will the G7 leaders listen to the pope?
Salobir, author of a book “God and Silicon Valley,” says that besides his influence as a spiritual leader, the pope has power as a neutral observer.
“The fact that there is no ‘Vatican Tech’ is an asset in terms of neutrality — the Church has no hidden agenda, no digital economy, no ‘start-up nation’ to launch, or investments to attract,” he said.
As a result, when the Vatican talks about AI, “it is for the technology itself, what it can do for humans,” he said.
“It may be one of the only states in this situation.”
 


India tells X to block over 8,000 accounts, mainly Pakistani

India tells X to block over 8,000 accounts, mainly Pakistani
Updated 09 May 2025
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India tells X to block over 8,000 accounts, mainly Pakistani

India tells X to block over 8,000 accounts, mainly Pakistani
  • Move appears to be part of India’s sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organizations
  • X said it disagreed with the demands but it had begun the process to withhold the specified accounts in India

WASHINGTON: India has ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts, the platform said Thursday, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed “censorship.”
The move appears to be part of India’s sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organizations amid heightened tensions and deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The order, which X said includes demands to block international news organizations and other prominent users, comes a day after Meta banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at New Delhi’s request.
“X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees,” the site’s global government affairs team said in a statement.
It added that in most cases, the government had not specified which posts from the accounts violated Indian laws, and in many others, it provided no evidence or justification for the blocks.
The Elon Musk-owned platform said it disagreed with the demands but it had begun the process to withhold the specified accounts in India.
“Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech,” the statement said.
“This is not an easy decision, however keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians’ ability to access information.”
The move comes amid fierce fighting between India and Pakistan, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-run side of the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.
Pakistan rejects the charge.
At least 48 people have been killed on both sides of the border in escalating violence since India launched air strikes on Wednesday that it said targeted “terrorist camps.”
Both countries accused each other on Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks.
X said it could not make the Indian executive orders public due to legal restrictions, but it encouraged the impacted users to seek “appropriate relief from the courts.”
It did not name the affected users, but in recent days the Indian media has reported that the country has blocked the X accounts of Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan’s former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan.
India has also banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content, including Pakistani news outlets.
Pakistani Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits in India, as well as a wide range of cricketers — including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram.
Rising hostilities between the South Asian neighbors have unleashed an avalanche of online misinformation, with social media users circulating everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts, falsely linking them to the ongoing fighting.


Ireland’s RTE urges talks on Israel’s Eurovision participation amid growing pressure

Ireland’s RTE urges talks on Israel’s Eurovision participation amid growing pressure
Updated 09 May 2025
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Ireland’s RTE urges talks on Israel’s Eurovision participation amid growing pressure

Ireland’s RTE urges talks on Israel’s Eurovision participation amid growing pressure
  • European Broadcasting Union ‘whitewashing’ Israeli war crimes
  • EBU must ban Israel like it did with Russia in 2022, say activists

DUBAI: Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE has invited the European Broadcasting Union for talks on Israel’s participation in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, as pressure mounts from dozens of former contestants demanding the country’s exclusion.

RTE’s Director-General Kevin Bakhurst has expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the situation of Israeli hostages, emphasizing the need for RTE to remain objective in its coverage of the war.

He also pointed to political pressure on Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, from the Israeli government.

Israel, a Eurovision participant since 1973, is set to compete in this year’s contest, running from May 13 to 17, in Basel, Switzerland, with singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack at the Nova music festival.

Earlier this week, in an open letter, 72 former Eurovision contestants called on the EBU to ban Israel and its national broadcaster, KAN, from this year’s contest.

They cited the country’s war in Gaza and accused the union of “normalizing and whitewashing” alleged Israeli war crimes.

They argued that Israel’s participation would be inconsistent with the EBU’s decision to ban Russia in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine.

The EBU previously said it acknowledges the concerns but aims to keep Eurovision a positive, inclusive event that transcends politics and unites people through music.


Israel detains Palestinian journalist amid press freedom concerns

Israel detains Palestinian journalist amid press freedom concerns
Updated 08 May 2025
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Israel detains Palestinian journalist amid press freedom concerns

Israel detains Palestinian journalist amid press freedom concerns
  • Ali Al-Samudi, 58, would remain in custody until October due to ‘considerations for the security of the region and public safety,’ Israeli military said

RAMALLAH: Israel’s military said on Thursday it would hold a Palestinian journalist arrested last month in administrative detention, raising fresh concerns over press freedom.

Ali Al-Samudi, 58, would remain in custody until October due to “considerations for the security of the region and public safety,” the military said in a newly published decree.

The Palestinian Commission for Detainees and the Palestinian Prisoners Club denounced the decision and Samudi’s treatment since his arrest on April 29.

His detention, they said in a joint statement, was part of Israel’s increasing use of administrative detention against journalists since the Gaza war began.

They said the practice had “intensified dramatically.”

Samudi is a freelance journalist who works with several outlets, including Al Jazeera.

He was with Shireen Abu Akleh when she was killed by gunfire in Jenin on May 11, 2022. He was shot and wounded in the shoulder.

The Prisoners Club says Israel has detained 50 Palestinian journalists since the Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, with 20 held under administrative detention.

The practice, a legacy of the British Mandate, allows Israel to detain people without charge, with detentions renewable indefinitely.

The commission and the club held Israel responsible for Samudi’s life and fate, saying he “suffers from several health issues and previous injuries.”

The Journalists’ Syndicate and Palestinian human rights organizations have reported the killing of more than 200 journalists in the Gaza Strip.

Other journalists have gone missing during the ongoing war, while Israel continues to prevent foreign journalists from entering Gaza.

In a statement published last week, the Jerusalem-based Foreign Press Association noted that “never in Israel’s history has the government imposed sweeping restrictions on the media for such an extended period.”

Between 2024 and 2025, Israel went down 11 places on Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, from 101 to 112 respectively.


Israel attacks kill 2 Gaza journalists in separate operations

Israel attacks kill 2 Gaza journalists in separate operations
Updated 09 May 2025
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Israel attacks kill 2 Gaza journalists in separate operations

Israel attacks kill 2 Gaza journalists in separate operations
  • Yahya Subaih died hours after posting photo of newborn daughter
  • Another local journalist, Nour Abdu, was killed in separate attack

LONDON: Palestinian journalist Yahya Subaih was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Wednesday, just hours after celebrating the birth of his daughter.

Subaih was among at least 11 people killed when Israeli warplanes struck a restaurant in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City. Dozens more were injured in the attack, according to local media reports.

Another local journalist, Nour Abdu, was reportedly killed while covering an attack early on Wednesday morning at a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City.

That strike killed 16 people, according to officials at Al-Ahli Hospital, while strikes in other areas killed at least 16 others.

The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned what it described as the “systematic targeting, killing, and assassination of Palestinian journalists,” and called on the international community to act.

In a statement, the office urged global powers “to put serious and effective pressure to stop the crime of genocide, protect journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip, and stop the crime of killing and assassinating them.”

Subaih, who worked with multiple media outlets, had shared a photo on social media just hours before his death, cradling his newborn daughter. “A little princess has brightened our world,” he wrote.

Footage circulating online shows Subaih wearing the same clothes he wore in the photo with his daughter.

His death adds to the growing number of media professionals killed in Gaza, which has become the most dangerous place in the world for journalists since Israel’s war on the enclave began on Oct. 7, 2023.

According to the Costs of War project by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the current conflict is the deadliest ever recorded for journalists.

More than 170 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began, with some estimates placing the figure as high as 214.

The overall death toll from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has surpassed 52,000 people, most of them women and children, with more than 118,000 injured, according to the territory’s health authorities.


Renowned journalists receive prestigious MCF Awards in Dubai

Renowned journalists receive prestigious MCF Awards in Dubai
Updated 08 May 2025
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Renowned journalists receive prestigious MCF Awards in Dubai

Renowned journalists receive prestigious MCF Awards in Dubai
  • Recipients include Asharq’s Nabeel Alkhatib, MBC’s Ali Jaber, The National’s Mina Al-Oraibi and social program presenter Sarah Dundarawy
  • The MCF recognizes the work of Arab, international media figures

DUBAI: Renowned media figures Dr. Nabeel Alkhatib and Ali Jaber were among the recipients of the prestigious May Chidiac Foundation Media Awards during a ceremony held in Dubai’s Al-Habtoor City on Wednesday.

Alkhatib, general manager of Asharq News, received the Antoine Choueiri’s Special Tribute for Lifetime Achievement Award, while Jaber, chief content officer of MBC and Shahid, took the MCF Special Recognition for Pioneering Leadership in the Media Industry Award.

Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief of The National, took the Excellence in Media Award.

Sarah Dundarawy, Saudi Arabia journalist and presenter at Al Arabiya’s social program “tafa3olcom”, received the Outstanding Media Performance award.

In its third edition in Dubai, the MCF recognized the work of distinguished Arab and international media figures.

The Exceptional Courage in Journalism Award for Life Sacrifices went to the late Marie Colvin, an American war correspondent for the Sunday Times, who was killed while covering the siege of Homs in Syria in 2012.

Pascale Bourgaux, a war reporter, author and filmmaker, received the Engaged Journalist Award.

The Vision in Content Development Award went to the Dubai-based BLINX, the first digital-native storytelling hub in the Middle East and North Africa.

Founded by journalist and former Lebanese Minister for Administrative Development May Chidiac, the foundation is a nonprofit organization.

It is dedicated to research and development in various media fields, including international affairs, women’s rights, democracy and social welfare.

It is also aimed at establishing Lebanon as a proactive player in the Middle East and global economy.