Doha (Qatar), Oct. 4, 2022 –

The speech of Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) held in Doha, Qatar, was received with great attention. Invited to present the Rome Call for AI Ethics in a panel dedicated to Islamic Ethics and Artificial Intelligence, Msgr. Paglia stressed the importance that religions can play in the face of the major issues of technological innovation and health.

“Today we have heard how artificial intelligence systems, now and tomorrow, can lead to scarcely believable improvements in the medical arts, said Msgr. Paglia. “We should be both proud and grateful. I encourage you to ensure that those who work in this field, which is so personal and delicate, will always give primary importance to humanity and to individual humans”.

In order to do that, said Msgr. Paglia, two things are needed: “First: Justice. It would be tragic if these complex and ultra-sophisticated systems were available only to the lucky few who can afford them.  We must work to make it possible for each individual, and each disease, to receive the best possible treatment.

Second:  Anthropology.  Today’s hyper-technological medicine runs an increasing risk of creating distance between doctor and patient.  Technology inserts itself between the two, controlling, sometimes completely, their relationship”.

Recalling the principles of the Rome Call for AI Ethics, and especially its algorethics, Msgr. Paglia added: “We have in mind an artificial intelligence that puts the human person at the center. In the health sector, this means both the AI that is centered on the patient, and the AI that is centered on the physician”.

The entire speech of Msgr. Paglia can be viewed here.