Key takeaways
- AI development raises novel and complex questions that extend beyond the battlefield, and faith traditions are well-equipped to address its ethical considerations.
- Faith representatives converged on core commitments: human accountability must be preserved, human dignity is inviolable, and governance should serve humanity.
- Convergence between faiths can provide an increasingly important basis for advancing multilateral discussions by offering a broadly shared ethical baseline.
Faith-based thinking, ethics and traditions have long played an important role in the formulation of multilateral norms. Now, at a critical juncture in global security, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities is accelerating. In this high-stakes security environment, an interfaith exchange can identify unifying narratives that transcend borders and reinforce trust, responsibility and restraint in the development, deployment and use of these technologies.
In this context, UNIDIR, in partnership with the Holy See, hosted an interfaith dialogue on AI, security and ethics, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. This policy brief reflects on the main themes and insights that emerged from the discussion. It also seeks to identify key areas of convergence, contextualized within the wider international policy landscape on AI, security and ethics.
By combining faith-specific perspectives with concrete approaches and foundational elements for principles, norms and guidelines, these takeaways can contribute to ongoing multilateral discussions and processes and serve as a reference point for emerging faith perspectives on the governance and ethics of military AI.