Pope Francis warns AI poses risk to 'human dignity itself' as he becomes first pontiff to address G7
Sky News
Updated Fri, 14 June 2024
Pope Francis has issued a warning about AI as he became the first pontiff to address the G7 summit of world leaders.
A hush fell as he entered the room in his wheelchair - and he greeted each of the leaders in turn, including President Biden, President Zelenskyy and Rishi Sunak.
His countryman, Argentinian President Javier Milei, gave him an especially warm welcome, while there was a hug from Jordan's King Abdullah and a whispered exchange with President Biden.
The Pope told leaders artificial intelligence offered "epochal transformation" that included "exponential" advances in scientific research.
However, he warned it must be closely monitored to maintain "human dignity" and control.
"We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people's ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines," he said.
"We need to ensure and safeguard a space for proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programmes: human dignity itself depends on it."
"No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being," he added.
The speech echoed his annual peace message, which called for a treaty to ensure AI is developed ethically to uphold values such as compassion and morality.
The meeting is taking place in Italy's southern Puglia region, some 260 miles from the 87-year-old Pope's home in The Vatican.
The core G7 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US.
However, the leaders of India, Brazil, Turkey, Algeria, Kenya and Tunisia - who together represent 1.6 billion people - are also there.
The first day of the summit on Thursday brought about a renewed pledge to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Migration from Africa, a particular concern for Italy, the Gaza war, and climate change are also on the agenda.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host an informal dinner on Friday evening and on Saturday afternoon there will be a final press conference on the summit's outcomes.
Bloomberg News
Fri, 14 June 2024
(Bloomberg) -- Few things capture the mood among world leaders better than a Group of Seven family photo. The simmering rage at perceived slights, the relegation of unpopular leaders to the back, smiles that seem a tad forced given all the problems left back home.
All this and more was revealed in the body language of presidents, prime ministers and — for the first time ever — a pope plopped center stage after being brought over in a golf cart.
One got an immediate sense of who is down and out, and who is on the up. Everyone may try and put on a brave face, but the grinning looked a tad forced for Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak.
Joe Biden’s movements were being literally scrutinized by his conservative critics when his Republican rival is only three years younger (Donald Trump turned 78 on Friday, sharing a birthday with Germany’s Olaf Scholz).
For the UK leader this could well be his last G-7, given polls show he is likely to be voted out on July 4 (Independence Day for the US) before the NATO summit in Washington.
Macron will limp on — he’s president until 2027 — but he faces his own potential comeuppance at the hands of the French electorate soon. His colleagues were baffled at why he would call a snap legislative election he didn’t need to and his host, Giorgia Meloni, was irritated by his lateness for dinner.
This is her moment.
Not only is she — politically speaking — the leader on the firmest footing (having won big in recent European parliament elections) but she showed swagger: taking selfies while waiting for Biden, giving Macron a death stare, ducking away from Sunak’s enthusiastic greeting, and being very attentive to His Holiness.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was placed bang center stage early on — which kept him at arm’s length from Biden and Canada’s Justin Trudeau (given the furor around the assassination of a Sikh nationalist in North America).
But in a telling moment, Modi made the gesture and came down toward Biden to have a brief chat. He also later helped Pope Francis back into the golf cart he arrived in.
--With assistance from Ania Nussbaum, Ellen Milligan, Brian Platt, Jennifer Jacobs, Josh Wingrove, Annmarie Hordern, Alberto Nardelli, Donato Paolo Mancini, Chiara Albanese and Arne Delfs.
G7 leaders sing 'Happy Birthday' to Germany's Scholz
Reuters Videos
Updated Fri, 14 June 2024
Updated Fri, 14 June 2024
STORY: ::G7 leaders sing 'Happy Birthday' to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
::Borgo Egnazia, Italy
::June 14, 2024
Leaders including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broke into song, to the apparent delight of Scholz who was beaming throughout the celebration.
Friday marks the final day of talks at the annual summit, with China topping the agenda before Pope Francis puts in a historic appearance to discuss artificial intelligence.
Many of the leaders will leave Italy late on Friday, including Biden, and Meloni said they had already agreed on the summit's conclusions, to be approved at the end of the day.
Welcome to the most unpopular G7 summit ever
James Crisp
James Crisp
THE TELEGRAPH
Thu, 13 June 2024
Lame ducks in a row: Of the G7 leaders gathering in Italy, only Giorgia Meloni is not struggling with high disapproval ratings
Rishi Sunak will meet some of the world’s most unpopular leaders at the G7 summit – but none have such high disapproval ratings as the British Prime Minister.
It means that Mr Sunak will win at least one contest this year as he hurtles towards wipeout in July’s general election.
He will feel understandably envious when he meets Giorgia Meloni, his host, who is fresh from a landslide triumph in European elections that has boosted her international influence.
Apart from Ms Meloni, who placed herself front and centre of the European campaign, he will find himself in depressing company.
He would have hoped that the G7 would provide some much needed foreign glamour and gravitas to distract from his domestic woes.
Instead, Mr Sunak finds himself hobbling at the head of a parade of lame ducks, including Emmanuel Macron of France.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally won a landslide victory in the European elections, taking roughly double the vote as Mr Macron’s party.
The G7 summit set to be dominated by talks over a plan on how to use interest on frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine - Andrew Medichini/AP
Ms Le Pen has called for an alliance with Ms Meloni, who said she has “points in common” with the hard-Right leader.
The French president, like Mr Sunak, called a surprise snap election for July, which could leave him denuded of many powers and stuck with an NR prime minister.
Like the British premier, he faces being badly punished by his electorate. Telegraph calculations put the centrist’s net approval rating (voters who approve, minus voters who disapprove ) at -31 per cent.
Germany’s Olaf Scholz arrives after leading his centre-Left SPD to their worst ever European results.
The chancellor was defeated by the centre-Right CDU and the pro-Putin and extremist Alternative for Germany, despite the latter being embroiled in a slew of scandals.
Rishi Sunak arrives with other G7 leaders to watch a parachute drop at San Domenico Golf Club - CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE
Now Mr Scholz is facing calls to collapse his unpopular coalition government and call a snap election like Mr Macron and Mr Sunak have done.
His calamitous rating is -51 per cent but it still isn’t as bad as Mr Sunak’s mammoth -54 per cent.
Joe Biden is tied with Donald Trump in polling for the US presidential elections this November, despite Mr Trump’s recent federal convictions.
Mr Biden arrives in Puglia after his son Hunter was convicted on federal gun charges with a comparatively buoyant net rating of -18.5 per cent.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Japan’s Fumio Kishida also have problems, with scores of -38 and -40 per cent respectively.
Giorgia Meloni, facing the camera, is hosting G7 leaders following a successful result in the EU elections - DOMENICO STINELLIS/AP
The G7 summit set to be dominated by talks over a plan on how to use interest on frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
The leaders will also call on China to stop helping Russia and criticise Beijing for anti-competitive economic policies.
It’s a welcome chance for Mr Sunak to dish out some statesmanlike criticism rather than being a victim of it.
The EU leaders may also find time on the margins to discuss the allocation of the bloc’s top jobs after European elections that saw big gains for the hard-Right but the pro-EU centre hold.
It is in none of the assembled leaders’ interests for this summit to be a foreign failure to compound their domestic problems.
The sunshine of Puglia and the company of other world leaders in front of the cameras should provide some blessed relief from the boos and brickbats back home.
For Ms Meloni, however, it will be yet another crowning moment in a week of success.
Thu, 13 June 2024
Lame ducks in a row: Of the G7 leaders gathering in Italy, only Giorgia Meloni is not struggling with high disapproval ratings
Rishi Sunak will meet some of the world’s most unpopular leaders at the G7 summit – but none have such high disapproval ratings as the British Prime Minister.
It means that Mr Sunak will win at least one contest this year as he hurtles towards wipeout in July’s general election.
He will feel understandably envious when he meets Giorgia Meloni, his host, who is fresh from a landslide triumph in European elections that has boosted her international influence.
Apart from Ms Meloni, who placed herself front and centre of the European campaign, he will find himself in depressing company.
He would have hoped that the G7 would provide some much needed foreign glamour and gravitas to distract from his domestic woes.
Instead, Mr Sunak finds himself hobbling at the head of a parade of lame ducks, including Emmanuel Macron of France.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally won a landslide victory in the European elections, taking roughly double the vote as Mr Macron’s party.
The G7 summit set to be dominated by talks over a plan on how to use interest on frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine - Andrew Medichini/AP
Ms Le Pen has called for an alliance with Ms Meloni, who said she has “points in common” with the hard-Right leader.
The French president, like Mr Sunak, called a surprise snap election for July, which could leave him denuded of many powers and stuck with an NR prime minister.
Like the British premier, he faces being badly punished by his electorate. Telegraph calculations put the centrist’s net approval rating (voters who approve, minus voters who disapprove ) at -31 per cent.
Germany’s Olaf Scholz arrives after leading his centre-Left SPD to their worst ever European results.
The chancellor was defeated by the centre-Right CDU and the pro-Putin and extremist Alternative for Germany, despite the latter being embroiled in a slew of scandals.
Rishi Sunak arrives with other G7 leaders to watch a parachute drop at San Domenico Golf Club - CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE
Now Mr Scholz is facing calls to collapse his unpopular coalition government and call a snap election like Mr Macron and Mr Sunak have done.
His calamitous rating is -51 per cent but it still isn’t as bad as Mr Sunak’s mammoth -54 per cent.
Joe Biden is tied with Donald Trump in polling for the US presidential elections this November, despite Mr Trump’s recent federal convictions.
Mr Biden arrives in Puglia after his son Hunter was convicted on federal gun charges with a comparatively buoyant net rating of -18.5 per cent.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Japan’s Fumio Kishida also have problems, with scores of -38 and -40 per cent respectively.
Giorgia Meloni, facing the camera, is hosting G7 leaders following a successful result in the EU elections - DOMENICO STINELLIS/AP
The G7 summit set to be dominated by talks over a plan on how to use interest on frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
The leaders will also call on China to stop helping Russia and criticise Beijing for anti-competitive economic policies.
It’s a welcome chance for Mr Sunak to dish out some statesmanlike criticism rather than being a victim of it.
The EU leaders may also find time on the margins to discuss the allocation of the bloc’s top jobs after European elections that saw big gains for the hard-Right but the pro-EU centre hold.
It is in none of the assembled leaders’ interests for this summit to be a foreign failure to compound their domestic problems.
The sunshine of Puglia and the company of other world leaders in front of the cameras should provide some blessed relief from the boos and brickbats back home.
For Ms Meloni, however, it will be yet another crowning moment in a week of success.
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