Pope Leo's encyclical on AI, and the Vatican science advisors
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On the release of Pope Leo’s encyclical about AI, we peek inside the Vatican academy that helps inform the Pope’s scientific views.
On Monday, Pope Leo XIV presented his encyclical, an open letter from the church, on AI. The 42,000-word document covers a lot of terrain—from screen time to resource extraction to job loss—but the core message is summed up in the title: “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding The Human Person In The Time Of Artificial Intelligence.”
How did the Pope arrive at these views? Among those advising him on AI and other matters are scientists: members of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Host Flora Lichtman talks with one of those members, anthropologist Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, about the encyclical and what it’s like to advise the Pope.
Guest:
Dr. Marcelo Suárez-Orozco is an anthropologist and chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
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Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.
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