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Artificial intelligence holds promise, but also potential risks for religious freedom

#1
C C Offline
https://www.deseret.com/2022/4/26/230331...ual-church

EXCERPTS: Despite all the applications of AI for good, particularly when it comes to advancing faith and religious freedom, critics of this technology are now widespread, with even the Vatican vowing to fight back against AI’s threats to human rights and religious freedom.

Here is the paradox. All the gathered information that can help facilitate faith outreach, particularly information about vulnerable individuals or countries’ national security infrastructures, can also be used by malign actors to stamp out minority beliefs. What happens, suddenly, when an authoritarian regime determines that a specific type of faith or religious adherence is a “threat to society”? Data and artificial intelligence can be deployed to target individuals and faith groups. Facial recognition technology, enabled by AI, can identify people entering or exiting houses of worship, which might later be used against them to bolster unjust charges of sedition.

[...] Chinese authorities have already used a vast system of advanced facial recognition technology to profile religionists. This data then serves as a hub for authorities to track movements, search people’s homes and detain citizens. Labor camps have been set up that officials in Beijing cynically refer to as vocational training camps — these are “reeducation camps” designed specifically to target Chinese Uyghur Muslims. 

[...] Catholics in Venezuela, comprising 70% of the country’s population, are becoming the archetype of what life looks like for religious adherents living under hostile governments when authoritarian regimes partner to export these technologies abroad. As the Catholic Church in Venezuela has worked to position itself as the bulwark defending human rights and dignity against Venezuela’s regime, government actors have been known to crash Sunday Masses and to keep tabs on prominent priests. 

[...] Meanwhile, in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has used artificial intelligence to surveil all citizens. As early as 2009, The Wall Street Journal profiled Iran’s spying web, which, at the time, was aided by European technology. But it’s no secret that many governments, including democracies like the United States, use big data and artificial intelligence under the banner of national security.

AI, in other words, is here to stay... (MORE - missing details)
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#2
stryder Offline
(Apr 29, 2022 05:36 PM)C C Wrote: https://www.deseret.com/2022/4/26/230331...ual-church

EXCERPTS: Despite all the applications of AI for good, particularly when it comes to advancing faith and religious freedom, critics of this technology are now widespread, with even the Vatican vowing to fight back against AI’s threats to human rights and religious freedom.

Here is the paradox. All the gathered information that can help facilitate faith outreach, particularly information about vulnerable individuals or countries’ national security infrastructures, can also be used by malign actors to stamp out minority beliefs. What happens, suddenly, when an authoritarian regime determines that a specific type of faith or religious adherence is a “threat to society”? Data and artificial intelligence can be deployed to target individuals and faith groups. Facial recognition technology, enabled by AI, can identify people entering or exiting houses of worship, which might later be used against them to bolster unjust charges of sedition.

[...] Chinese authorities have already used a vast system of advanced facial recognition technology to profile religionists. This data then serves as a hub for authorities to track movements, search people’s homes and detain citizens. Labor camps have been set up that officials in Beijing cynically refer to as vocational training camps — these are “reeducation camps” designed specifically to target Chinese Uyghur Muslims. 

[...] Catholics in Venezuela, comprising 70% of the country’s population, are becoming the archetype of what life looks like for religious adherents living under hostile governments when authoritarian regimes partner to export these technologies abroad. As the Catholic Church in Venezuela has worked to position itself as the bulwark defending human rights and dignity against Venezuela’s regime, government actors have been known to crash Sunday Masses and to keep tabs on prominent priests. 

[...] Meanwhile, in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has used artificial intelligence to surveil all citizens. As early as 2009, The Wall Street Journal profiled Iran’s spying web, which, at the time, was aided by European technology. But it’s no secret that many governments, including democracies like the United States, use big data and artificial intelligence under the banner of national security.

AI, in other words, is here to stay... (MORE - missing details)

There is probably a bit more of an Existential threat to religion with AI.

AI can be developed to observe, process and respond in kind.

A potential omnipresent and benevolent intelligence (based on programming) capable of "hearing a prayer" and attempting to make good through what powers can be developed within it to respond with action (Such as contacting people, or making an "angel investor" decision and moving funds to aid those in need etc).

In other words it could either be used to create a fascimile of a "God" or become the very thing that all religion has been based upon, and that likely scares puritans or those that feel that such a development would be an imposter at best.
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