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Pope Leo XIV on Thursday praised the work of news agencies in an increasingly “post-truth” world and warned of the dangers of relying on artificial intelligence for information.
“The world needs independent, rigorous and objective information,” he told an audience at the Vatican of the MINDS international network of news agencies, which includes AFP.
He said, “With your patience and hard work, you can act as a barrier against those who seek to create division to rule by dividing through the ancient art of lying.”
“You can also be a defender of civilization against the quicksand of approximation and post-truth.”
Careful, ethically-driven reporting, he said, is “an antidote to the spread of ‘garbage’ information.”
Leo noted the crisis facing news and media agencies, who have seen their traditional model of selling advertising to finance their work destroyed since the advent of the Internet, and AI chatbots now dramatically reducing the number of people accessing their websites.
“Artificial intelligence is changing the way we receive and communicate information, but who directs it and for what purpose?” the Pope asked.
“We must remain vigilant to ensure that technology does not replace humans, and that the information and algorithms that control it today are not in the hands of a few.”
Leo, the first US head of the Catholic Church, has himself been the victim of online “deep fake” videos showing him giving speeches using AI.
He has previously called for the release of jailed journalists around the world and reiterated on Thursday that their work “can never be considered a crime”.
Leo also paid tribute to the journalists killed on the job, calling them “victims of war and the ideology of war, which wants to prevent journalists from going there”.
He said, “We must not forget them! If today we know what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine and every other land stained with blood, we owe it to them in large part.”
Pope Leo urged citizens to “value and support those professionals and agencies that demonstrate seriousness and true independence in their work”.
“Free access to information is a pillar that sustains the edifice of our society and for this reason, we are called upon to protect and guarantee it,” he said.
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