Religion and AI Ethics for Peace | Toda Peace Institute
Artificial intelligence (AI) represents one of the most influential and transformative technologies humanity has ever developed. Like previous technological advancements, AI offers blessings and burdens that can foster peace and democracy or fuel violence, inequality, polarization, and authoritarianism. Religious ethics have something to offer.
Over a hundred religious actors met at the Peace Park in Hiroshima, Japan, in July 2024 to discuss "AI Ethics for Peace." The Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Life organized the conference with Religions for Peace Japan, the United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Commission for Interfaith Relations.
The Impact of AI on Society
AI poses several dangers, including the potential to amplify disinformation, exacerbate societal polarization, infringe on privacy, enable mass surveillance, and facilitate autonomous weapons. Participants signed the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a collaborative initiative emphasizing AI's ethical development and use.
My own religious tradition of Mennonite Anabaptism has something to offer these conversations. Some Anabaptist communities have a long-standing practice of careful deliberation to evaluate new technologies' potential positive or negative impacts. Today, several Anabaptists are involved in discussions on the ethics of AI and how it might be used to support peace commitments.
Building Social Cohesion through Technology
Social media platforms, powered by first-generation AI algorithms, determine what content each individual sees on their newsfeed. These platforms maximize user engagement by prioritizing attention-grabbing content, generating both profit and polarization. Technology must be designed to support social cohesion – the glue that holds society together.
AI can aid in this effort by acting as a bridge for better understanding, but it must be guided by humans to contribute positively to social cohesion. AI-powered deliberative technologies like The Call for AI Ethics was signed in Rome and Remesh | Focus Groups Online used in countries like Taiwan and Finland strengthen democracy and foster social cohesion.
Using AI for Peacebuilding
At the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, students are trained to use AI to combat hate speech, improve digital conversations, and analyze discussions on deliberative platforms. These technologies help map different viewpoints, enabling us to “listen at scale.”
In June, the Toda Peace Institute brought together peacebuilders from around the world to learn how to use AI-powered technologies to support public deliberation. Over the coming year, these groups will pilot these technologies in diverse and polarized contexts.
Religious Ethics and AI Development
Religious ethics are relevant to AI development, helping us see how AI can support human dignity and social cohesion while also voicing our concerns over the potential for these new technologies to cause economic, political, and social harms.
As we grapple with the challenges and opportunities of AI, some are asking whether AI and democracy can fix each other. Teams are working on projects to test whether deliberative technologies can align AI with the will of humanity.
