"Artificial Intelligence: Intercultural Reflections from the viewpoints of Science and of the Church"

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KAAD Annual Convention opened

On April 25th, the 37th Annual Convention of the Catholic Academic Foreigners Service opened in Bonn. Around 250 participants from fifty countries gather for four days (until April 28th, 2024) to examine the growing importance of artificial intelligence from an interdisciplinary and intercultural perspective.

In view of the new technologies and the learning machines that come with them, the question of what actually constitutes being human and how humans and machines relate to each other must be asked again", reflected Auxiliary Bishop Dr Dr Anton Losinger (Augsburg), Episcopal Representative for the KAAD, in his opening. "Dealing with the opportunities and challenges of such a world-shattering, multifaceted technological transformation that affects so many areas of life" is a special responsibility of current and future decision-makers. For the knowledge society, there is a "design mandate" that "demands our responsibility as a society and a constitutional state", explained Anton  Losinger in his subsequent presentation entitled "Dilemmas in the new form of the knowledge society: Ethical reflections".

Prof. Dr Jerry John Kponyo discussed the diverse possible uses of AI with regard to the societies of the Global South and the responsibility that underlies this use. The former KAAD scholarship holder is Co-founder of the Responsible AI Network Africa (RAIN Africa) and professor of information and communication technology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He is considered one of the leading AI experts on the African continent. He also referred to fundamental ethical issues – when developing algorithms and creating data sets, "fair and concrete predictions and solutions" must be ensured in order to prevent "existing social prejudices against certain groups of people from being unknowingly promoted by AI.”

"There are major differences in the perception of risks and potential benefits of AI between the countries of the Global North and the Global South", emphasized KAAD Secretary General Dr Nora Kalbarczyk. One of the goals of this Jahresakademie is to work out these differences as well as new perspectives and approaches in the discourse on the use of AI. KAAD President P. Dr Hans Langendörfer SJ emphasized that the "human alertness, intellectual seriousness and spiritual openness" that he experiences in the worldwide network of the KAAD and especially at the annual academy is a "special, not self-evident experience of the church in the world." On this basis, one could well ask – in the words of Pope Francis - how artificial intelligence "can be put at the service of humanity and the protection of our common home." On Friday morning, a total of five thematic forums dealt with various areas of application of AI. They discussed whether artificial intelligence is a "game changer" for development cooperation, to what extent AI-generated false reports pose a threat to democracy, what opportunities and challenges AI offers for health systems in the Global South and what artificial intelligence means for human language and communication. In addition to the science journalist Dr Manuela Lenzen and the head of the New Media Department at ZDF, Andreas Grün, Dr Theresa Züger, head of the Public Interest AI research group at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Dr Christian Stein from the Humboldt University in Berlin and Phidelis Wamalwa from the Institute of Global Health at the University of Heidelberg also contributed their expertise.

Before the end of the annual academy, there is still the international festival service and the awarding of the KAAD Foundation Peter Hünermann Prize to the Ukrainian church historian Prof. Dr Oleh Turiy. During a musical ceremony carried out by KAAD scholarship holders, Oleh Turiy will be honored on Friday evening for his scientific and ecclesiastical commitment, for his efforts in ecumenical encounters in his home country and for his commitment to a democratic Ukraine.

Auxiliary Bishop Dr Dr Anton Losinger

Prof. Dr Jerry John Kponyo

KAAD President P. Dr Hans Langendörfer SJ

KAAD Secretary General Dr Nora Kalbarczyk