Following the publication of the Pope’s encyclical, social ethicist Elmar Nass is calling for stricter political regulation of “Artificial Intelligence” (AI). Speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, Nass argued that ethics should not always be the voice of complaint, merely pointing out problems later. He stressed that ethical questions must be integrated into the technological development process from the beginning. Nass emphasized that politicians are obligated to provide concrete answers. Using autonomous weapons as an example, he insisted that talking abstractly about human dignity is insufficient; decision-makers must specifically state which systems are acceptable and which are not.
Meanwhile, Donata Vogtschmidt, the Green Party’s parliamentary group spokesperson for digital policy, has also demanded “concrete steps to prevent the misuse and dehumanization caused by AI”. Vogtschmidt echoed Pope Leo’s caution, stating that artificial intelligence must never be allowed to decide matters of life and death. She explained that given the global proliferation of autonomous weapons systems, there is an urgent need for a clear political course establishing binding ethical rules and effective human control. She strongly urges the federal government to use the ongoing national implementation of the AI regulation to address these needs. This follows previous statements by Federal Minister for Digital Affairs, Karsten Wildberger (CDU), who had advocated for European autonomy and an “ethical AI” framework.
