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Though the internet has made it easier for us to connect with others, it is also used to exploit and abuse children. We must call for all abusers and enablers of online crimes against children to be held accountable and face justice.
A leading artificial intelligence researcher, some call the “godfather” of AI, says the technology is developing at a “scary” rate and warns that it should not expand beyond our ability to control it. Geoffrey Hinton, a longtime researcher at Google and newly-retired at age 75, has added his voice to those saying that the potential dangers of the new technology deserve scrutiny.
As Facebook, Apple, and Google pour billions into AI development, there is a fledgling branch of academic ethical study that aims to study its moral consequences, contain the harm it might do, and push tech firms to integrate social goods like privacy and fairness into their business plans.
Behavioral scientist Gerd Gigerenzer looks at how AI and algorithms are shaping our future–and why it is important to remember they aren’t human. He thinks too many of us are now letting AI make the decisions for us. The alternative is start thinking, he says.
Public trust must not be abused by AI-managing companies whose style of operation remain inaccessible to the users. Transparency is the first rule that must be made effective. Excessive intrusion into personal lives and instrumentalizing and monetizing personal behaviour must be prevented.
We are at a turning point in history. Francis believes the Church must both remain faithful to the Gospel and embrace radical reform if it is to fulfill its mission of evangelizing the world.
As the first pope to select as his namesake the patron saint of ecology, Francis of Assisi, he has emphasized concern for creation as a priority of the Catholic Church, and made ecology a central theme of his papacy.
Believing that “the future of the Church is in Asia,” Pope Francis made several pastoral visits to the continent, appointed Asian prelates to the Roman Curia and nunciatures, and commended the Overseas Filipino Workers for “smuggling” the faith to the whole world.
The “provisional” agreement between the Holy See and the Chinese government concerning the nomination of Chinese bishops has been extended again for two more years. The agreement seeks to guarantee that the Chinese Catholic bishops can exercise their episcopal task in full communion with the pope.
The Vatican criticized the Chinese government’s transfer of a Catholic bishop to a diocese not recognized by the Holy See. Some human rights advocates and religious freedom experts hope this shift in Rome’s posture toward Beijing will continue.
