Artificial Intelligence from a Vincentian Perspective: Helping or Hindering Hands?
Artificial Intelligence from a Vincentian Perspective: Helping or Hindering Hands?
Attending the IMF/World Bank spring meetings this year as a representative of the International Association of Charities (AIC), I discovered that much dialogue swirled around the debate about Artificial Intelligence (AI) — its benefits and challenges. It provoked my thinking about our Vincentian mission and how St. Vincent de Paul might have viewed this technological phenomenon. The ethics of AI is clearly worthy of our consideration, especially in how, for people living in poverty, it may exacerbate the disparities in how benefits and burdens of AI are distributed. In doing my research, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my thoughts about AI and the Vincentian Charism have been plumbed by others in the Vincentian Family, specifically Fr. Roger Mamani Choque, CM, of Peru, who invited us all in July 2024 to a three-part reflection on just this very topic, exploring the ethics of AI from a Vincentian perspective.[1] This reflection coincides with two recent, fundamental assertions: the Vatican’s AI expert, Friar Paolo Benanti’s advocacy for an international treaty to ensure ethical AI use (Jon, 2024); and, the U.N.’s Global Digital Compact, wherein member states pledge to improve digital cooperation that would “ensure safe and affordable digital access for all” (U.N. Global Digital Compact, 2023). The Global Digital Compact is to be agreed at the Summit of the Future in September 2024 “through a technology track involving all stakeholders: governments, the United Nations system, the private sector (including tech companies), civil society, grass-roots organizations, academia, and individuals, including youth.”[2]
Given St. Vincent de Paul’s dedication to alleviating the suffering of the poor, and his commitment to building a more just society that welcomes the “stranger” and respects the dignity of every person, the advent of AI and its pervasive application in nearly all aspects of our lives calls on us as members of the Vincentian family to be vigilant about its potential for harm, while simultaneously acknowledging its capacity for progress. Experts agree that there is no escaping AI – it is here to stay – but it remains largely unregulated and tips the scales in favor of those on the privileged side of the digital divide. We need to be educated about how AI is used, what hazards AI attaches to the lives of those with limited access to financial and digital products and services, and how it can be applied in ways that are more ethical and just.
This inquiry comes at a pivotal time, as we hurtle towards 2030 and the promise contained in the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. Notably, SDG 1 calls for the elimination of poverty in all its manifestations, and any threat to that goal undermines the model virtues of St. Vincent de Paul who emphasized respect for the dignity of poor persons and attention to their material as well as spiritual needs. Although AI is touted as a helping hand, making access to finance for underserved markets more efficient, innovative and enabling, the reality is that very little is yet known about the misuses of AI and their consequences for humankind. Similarly, while benefits of AI for the health sector, education, and finance have been robustly documented, tracking measures of the responsible adoption of AI that include transparency, fairness, privacy and security, and strong governance have been relatively deficient, and methods of tracking lack harmonization making comparability across regions, adopter firms, and AI developers difficult.[3]
AI’s potential to hinder the economic health of the world’s most vulnerable communities and exacerbate social and economic disparities is significant at a time when AI is burgeoning while the digital divide in marginalized communities widens, and with AI-driven decisions taking on more prominence. These decisions often carry algorithmic biases that can amplify inequities in society, “reflecting back the bias in our world” and “doing so at potentially massive scale and without due oversight” (Panch, Mattie & Atun, 2019). Now is the time to advocate for better regulation of AI and stronger policies for its implementation, especially for those otherwise “left behind” by digitization. As Bernards (2023, p. 83) asks: Do AI and financial technology translate into equitable opportunities for all, and to what extent do they even contemplate “what freedom, equality, dignity, and above all democracy might mean in relation to finance”?
Our unique Vincentian perspective casts an ethical light on the implementation of AI and suggests means of curbing its excesses where they have the potential to create the most harm by insisting on transparency, justice, care and dignity.
Linda M. Sama, Ph.D.
NGO Representative to the U.N., International Association of Charities (AIC)
References:
Bernards, N. (2023), “Can technology democratize finance?”, Ethics & International Affairs, 37(1): 81-95.
Jon, Q. (2024), “Vatican’s AI expert on a mission to ensure ethical tech use”, Tech Times, https://www.techtimes.com/articles/300747/20240118/vaticans-ai-expert-mission-ensure-ethical-tech-use.htm, accessed 06-26-2024.
Panch, T, Mattie, H., & Atun, R. (2019). “Artificial Intelligence and algorithmic bias: implications for health systems”, Journal of Global Health, 9(2)
10.7189/jogh.09.020318
United Nations, (2023), “Global Digital Compact: Background Note”, Version 17, January 2023, https://www.un.org/techenvoy/sites/www.un.org.techenvoy/files/Global-Digital-Compact_background-note.pdf Accessed 7-14-2024
[1] See https://cmglobal.org/en/category/formation/ for links to these reflections
[2] See https://www.un.org/techenvoy/global-digital-compact for more details on the Global Digital Compact
[3] Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2024 (Accessed 8/2/2024)
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Linda, this is certainly a very interesting lens through which to view this developing issue. I still love reading your writings! You are such an asset to AIC/FamVin at the UN and beyond.