The Vatican has brought together an eclectic mix of thinkers and music artists as it seeks to influence both the development of artificial intelligence and the future of humanity.<\/p>\n
A summit held Friday and Saturday on \u201chuman fraternity\u201d convened Nobel prize winners to discuss everything from agriculture to the economy to sport, before culminating with an historic concert in St. Peter\u2019s Square directed by American singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams and celebrated Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.<\/p>\n
Among those taking part in the AI discussions was Will.i.am<\/a>, front man for the Black Eyed Peas, who has been involved with AI since 2012, after attending classes by the late Patrick Winston, a computer scientist from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The rapper and singer, who heads a technology company called FYI.AI<\/a> and supports computer science education in Los Angeles, believes the church and Pope Leo XIV have a role to play in developing AI that serves humanity.<\/p>\n He told celebrity.land that the Vatican event offered a \u201csafe haven\u201d for brainstorming on AI. It \u201cdemands that people center themselves around what\u2019s good for humanity,\u201d he said, and \u201cthat they build systems that are for community and the improvement of society. That\u2019s the thesis of why they come to the Vatican.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI think governments need to get up to speed and put some regulations and governance in place, not to stifle growth but just to ensure that society is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n For several years, the Vatican been pushing for a more ethical AI through meetings with leaders of tech companies, and Pope Francis called in 2023 for a \u201cbinding international treaty\u201d to prevent harmful practices and encourage the best ones.<\/a><\/p>\n The latest discussions, which took place in Rome\u2019s Palazzo Altieri, covered similar themes, with speakers including Geoffrey Hinton, known as \u201cthe Godfather of AI,\u201d physicist and author Max Tegmark of MIT, Jimena Sof\u00eda Viveros \u00c1lvarez, a scholar and leading voice for ethical AI, and Marco Trombetti, founder and chief executive of Translated, which utilizes AI for translation services.<\/p>\n Trombetti, who uses a mix of AI and human translators, told celebrity.land that the development of AI risks creating a \u201cdigital divide\u201d between countries which do and do not have access to the technology. He described the Vatican\u2019s role in discussions as significant because Pope Leo is a \u201cmagnet for talent\u201d who has an \u201cincredible power for spreading ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest summit was in the works before Pope Francis died in April, triggering the process to elect his successor. Organizers then scrambled to prepare the event, which included a round table on the news media in which Mark Thompson, the chief executive and chairman of celebrity.land, took part, as did Maria Ressa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and chief executive of the Rappler news site.<\/p>\n Pope Leo shakes hands with American singer Pharrell Williams at the Vatican, on Friday. A varied mix of thinkers and music artists convened to discuss everything from agriculture to sport. – Simone Risoluti\/Vatican Media\/Reuters<\/p>\n On Saturday, a \u201chuman constitutional assembly\u201d was presided over by Gra\u00e7a Machel, widow of South Africa\u2019s late President Nelson Mandela, and attended by several Nobel laureates.<\/p>\n While Italian-centric and dominated by speeches, the event underlined the Vatican and the papacy\u2019s convening power. Ressa, who was awarded the Nobel for efforts to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines, told celebrity.land that \u201cif you don\u2019t talk about humanity at the Vatican, I don\u2019t know what else (you would talk about).\u201d<\/p>\n For her part, Machel said the event showed that leaders have the capacity to \u201cre-design the world\u201d to protect life and ensure people have work, food and shelter.<\/p>\n Pope Leo addressed the participants Friday in the Vatican\u2019s apostolic palace, where he urged them to \u201cidentify local and international ways of developing new forms of social charity\u201d and to see the \u201cimage of God in the face of the poor, the refugee and even the adversary.\u201d Later that evening, he sent a message thanking people on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a frequent entry point for migrants from north Africa, for welcoming new arrivals and hinting that he could make a visit. Back in 2013, Pope Francis made his first visit outside of Rome to Lampedusa.<\/p>\n Speaking about Leo\u2019s election as the first American pope, Will.i.am<\/a> said it was a \u201cbeautiful\u201d thing given \u201call the things that are happening in America.\u201d On Friday, an undocumented migrant in a suburb of Chicago was fatally shot<\/a> by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer after resisting arrest. \u201cI wish we treated Chicago and inner cities better going through tough times with a human, delicate approach,\u201d Will.i.am said. \u201cThe fact that we have a pope from Chicago gives me hope.\u201d<\/p>\n The concert in St. Peter\u2019s Square on Saturday evening, open to everyone, is the first of its kind to be held in the Vatican. The line-up includes John Legend, Teddy Swims, Karol G and features an unlikely return<\/a> to performing by hip-hop duo Clipse,<\/a> which includes brothers Gene and Terrence Thornton (No Malice and Pusha T). Will.i.am<\/a>, who is not performing, said he hoped that the crowd might sing one of the Black Eyed Peas\u2019 best known songs \u2013 \u201cWhere Is The Love?\u201d \u2013 because \u201cthe world needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, as the summit was taking place, Pope Leo received the diplomatic credentials of the new US Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch. Burch, who is from Chicago, was the co-founder of Catholic Vote, a political organization that backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. While presenting his credentials, he gave Leo a cake to mark the pope\u2019s 70th birthday this Sunday. According to the US Embassy to Holy See X account, during their meeting pope \u201cunderscored that our political differences can never be resolved with violence and told Ambassador Burch that he was praying for the widow of Mr. Kirk and his children.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n