Papal advisor warns of AI harm to youths

Paolo Benanti, a moral theologian and papal adviser, cautioned that artificial intelligence may harm youths more severely than nicotine or cocaine addictions. He told the BBC that AI systems can act as “super manipulation tools,” creating profound emotional distortion among children and young adults in their development and decision-making processes.

Benanti, a Franciscan friar who teaches at Pontifical Gregorian University, emphasized the need to protect young people from the effects of AI. He suggested that it is necessary to be “really clear and careful” and compared the need for protection to wearing a helmet when riding a scooter, saying “it’s time to have a brain helmet.”

Benanti pointed to the “uneven relation of power” between tech leaders and young people, where tech leaders “can manipulate and control the most fragile brains.” He emphasized that democracy needs brains that are able to have an opinion on facts, highlighting the importance of critical thinking.

His remarks come after AI leaders, including Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, backed calls to slow development and embed third-party safety evaluators within their companies. Benanti believes that international treaties are necessary to ensure that AI is beneficial to humanity.

The pope has made AI a central concern of his pontificate, and Benanti said he “has the power to speak to everyone.” Earlier this year, the pope published an encyclical titled “Magnifica humanitas: on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence,” warning about AI power becoming concentrated in “the hands of a few.”

Other research has also raised concerns about young people’s use of AI. A survey by Deloitte found that half of parents are concerned their children rely too much on the tech, and nearly 30% said their children were already using generative AI in schoolwork. Some studies have suggested that AI can weaken independent thinking, with one researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology finding that people who used generative AI for essays performed worse over time than those using Google or no aid.

Benanti’s comments highlight the need for careful consideration and international cooperation to ensure that AI is developed and used in ways that benefit humanity.