Ralf Wintergerst, the president of Bitkom, argues that Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be aligned with the common good and ultimately serve humanity. According to Wintergerst, AI currently holds significant potential, offering benefits in various sectors, such as the early detection of diseases and improvements in education. He stresses that it is crucial to utilize AI’s opportunities responsibly and to establish clear boundaries wherever fundamental rights, safety, or human dignity are involved.
For this reason, he believes that Germany and Europe must foster “pragmatic” AI development. Wintergerst asserts that only by allowing good AI applications to be created, trained, and implemented within these regions can they be shaped according to our values and made useful for the public welfare.
The concept of AI aligning with moral standards is not new. In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV previously described AI as a “valuable tool” but cautioned that it needed to be “disarmed” in light of risks posed by issues such as autonomous weapons or environmental consequences.
