HONG KONG (SE): On January 1, on the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., celebrated a Mass for World Day of Peace. Hundreds of people were in attenance at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Caine Road, to pray for the victims of wars and armed conflicts around the world.
Victor Lam Wai-Kiu, who was chief information officer for the Hong Kong government from 2018 to 2022, spoke about the impact of Artificial Intelligence [AI] on the future of humanity during the celebration.
“No matter how powerful the AI becomes, I do not believe that it will be able to fulfil the mission that God has given us. The understanding of basic human rights should not be determined by mathematical algorithms, which may compromise important human values such as empathy, compassion and forgiveness. In order to ensure that human dignity and worth are fully valued, we should not exclude the possibility of personal change and progress,” he said.
During the Mass, organised by the Diocesan Commission for Integral Human Development, participants were invited to reflect on the relationship between AI and world peace in response to Pope Francis’ message for the 57th World Day of Peace. The pope said that science and technology should serve the purpose of bringing peace and not be misused or abused to cause bias and moral problems. He called for a responsible approach to be taken to the development of technology that would benefit marginalised groups [Sunday Examiner, December 31].
In his address, Cardinal Stephen wished all those present a blessed and fruitful year in 2024. “There is always hope for the new year since God will walk alongside us through our ups and downs,” he said.
“Pray for the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, for her guidance in using technology wisely,” the cardinal added.
To build a peaceful world, he urged people to become the agents of peace themselves by using artificial intelligence morally, ethically, and intelligently. “Using AI means developing peace in the long run, peace for our future generations.” He said the technology should be used to help the poor and the weak.
The Mass was concelebrated by vicar general, Father Joseph Chan Wing-chiu, Father Joseph Yim Tak-lung and Father Dominique Mukonda Kananga.
Lam, a devoted Catholic who worked in information technology for decades before retiring as head of Government Information Services, spoke about the relationship between artificial intelligence and our lives, and the potential risks posed by its abuse.
No matter how powerful the AI becomes, I do not believe that it will be able to fulfil the mission that God has given us. The understanding of basic human rights should not be determined by mathematical algorithms, which may compromise important human values such as empathy, compassion and forgiveness
Victor Lam
He noted that our lives are already highly intertwined with AI through the applications on our smartphones which enable us to search for information and translate. AI is also used to forecast weather or traffic. An AI drone can also be used for humanitarian purposes by distributing resources in disasters and wars.
However, due to its wide applications, he pointed out that the risk of misusing AI, its threat to society and culture, as well as the need to control its use has already been pointed out by the Church as well as many scientists. An example is ChatGPT, which can give biased responses to our questions, and can be used against moral principles.
“AI itself has no responsibility to speak of, it is the people behind it who should bear responsibility. In order to evade responsibility, the criteria behind certain decisions may become blurred, and the truth may be covered up so that the developers or operators of AI can evade their obligation to fulfil their duties in the public interest,” he said.
“We must, therefore, put in place a mechanism to enable early detection and correction of AI errors, loopholes and accountability so as to prevent the problem from worsening and the recurrence of similar problems. … love, sacrifice, faith, hope, and unity in plurality cannot be acquired and owned by a machine,” he said. Lam has been a catechist for 40 years at the Holy Cross Church, Shau Kei Wan, and is now also involved in voluntary work.
AI itself has no responsibility to speak of, it is the people behind it who should bear responsibility. In order to evade responsibility, the criteria behind certain decisions may become blurred, and the truth may be covered up so that the developers or operators of AI can evade their obligation to fulfil their duties in the public interest
Victor Lam
According to the Father Chan, technology is good because it enables humans to live more comfortably and is a process of improvement. However, he compared technological development to children learning to exercise their free will to choose a Christmas gift under a budget set by their parents. “Freedom is granted as a fulfilment of the love of God. The freedom of one person should not be at the expense of the freedom of another, which is one of the fundamental principles of peace,” he emphasised.
The faithful prayed for the wisdom for users of AI, the end of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the end of the conflict in Gaza, the discernment of young people in different situations, and the empowerment of marginalised groups within Hong Kong society in a time of rapid technological advancement.
Canossian Sister Gemma Leung Lo-yee said she came for the Mass every year and she believes prayer for world peace is especially necessary for people suffering in different wars. Her prayer was that leaders of nations who resorted to violence for their problems would change their hearts.
Mass offerings collected are to be donated to assist war victims. The World Day of Peace was established by Pope Paul VI in honour of the 1963 encyclical, Pacem in Terris, issued by Pope John XXIII, and in reference to his own 1967 encyclical, Populorum Progressio. The day was first observed on 1 January 1968.
