Vatican appoints Google DeepMind head to scientific academy

Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind and artificial intelligence pioneer, is elected to Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences

The head of Google DeepMind and artificial intelligence luminary, Demis Hassabis, was elected to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Friday, an action that reflects the Vatican’s growing embrace of contemporary technology.

In pursuit of the academy’s goal of examining the nexus between science, technology, medical ethics, and philosophy, the 47-year-old British national joins an esteemed group of scholars that includes Nobel laureates Andrea Ghez and Didier Queloz.

Established in 1603 as a nonreligious organization inside the Vatican, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences focuses on scientific research and discussion outside of any particular religion. The organization’s dedication to keeping up with developments in artificial intelligence and its moral ramifications is shown by Hassabis’s recent inclusion.

In Dec. 2023, Pope Francis sent a six-page letter warning about the possible dangers of artificial intelligence and urging a worldwide agreement to control its use. The pontiff’s goal of using technology to promote good while minimizing its negative effects is in line with this decision to include prominent personalities from the digital industry in the Vatican’s scientific council.

Bringing a lot of experience in AI research and development to the university, Hassabis founded DeepMind as a business in London in 2010 and oversaw its purchase by Google four years later. 

Source: AFP