The Rome Call for AI Ethics was issued by the Vatican, and furthered by the RenAIssance Foundation, in an effort to promote algorethics, i.e. an ethical development of artificial intelligence. This initiative led by the Vatican, in collaboration with major tech companies like Microsoft and IBM, aims to promote an ethical approach to artificial intelligence (AI) by fostering a sense of shared responsibility among international organisations, governments, institutions, and the private sector.
Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) is excited to announce that it has been approved as an ambassador for the Rome Call for AI Ethics, aligning perfectly with our mission to teach, challenge, and transform through our service, support, and leadership for Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Brisbane and our values of Excellence, Integrity, Justice, and Hope. BCE is the first Australian organisation to be named as an ambassador; and the first K-12 organisation globally.
As an ambassador, BCE is dedicated to upholding ethical practices, particularly in the field of AI, ensuring that our actions are guided by our Catholic Tradition and striving for innovation and excellence. Being part of this initiative shines a light on BCE's level of dedication to the responsible and ethical use of AI. It demonstrates our commitment to align our practices in AI with worldwide standards and guidelines and provides opportunities for collaboration with other participating organisations.
BCE is committed to:
- Transparency: Ensuring AI systems used in our educational programs are open and transparent. This means providing clear information about how they work, the data they use, and the decision-making processes involved. This commitment to transparency is connected to our value of Integrity, demonstrating an ethical approach to technology. BCE is already working with Microsoft in their global 'Open Education Analytics' project and other organisations to share, learn and collaborate for best practice.
- Inclusion: BCE pledges to create inclusive AI systems that consider the diverse needs of our students and staff, honouring our value of Justice. This means we will ensure that AI tools and resources are accessible to all students, regardless of their cultural or economic background or abilities. We create and deploy technology utilising the international 'Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)', which sets a high standard for the creation of technology that is accessible and removes any barriers to individual user's needs.
- Responsibility: We accept full responsibility for the AI systems we deploy. Integrating AI ethics into the curriculum to educate students about the ethical implications of AI will help foster a generation of students who are not only tech-savvy but also ethically aware.
- Impartiality: BCE's AI systems will be designed to treat all users fairly, without bias or discrimination. This aligns with our value of Excellence, striving to provide the highest quality education for all. In addition, the pedagogical use of AI systems will enhance the critical thinking skills of students, promoting reciprocal relationships with others and genuine dialogue.
- Reliability: BCE is committed to the development and use of reliable AI systems that students and educators can trust. This reflects our value of Hope as we embrace the future of education with confidence in the technology we use. Our organisational size and reach allows us to provide enterprise-grade systems deployed to thousands of staff and 78,000 students, ensuring reliable and robust systems are deployed through our strong partnerships with leading vendors, both locally and globally.
- Security and Privacy: BCE will prioritise the security and privacy of all data used in our AI systems, safeguarding the information of our students and staff. This is a direct reflection of our commitment to Integrity, ensuring that our community's data is treated with the utmost respect and care.
BCE is committed to leveraging AI to be industry-leading in innovative technologies, creating the ability to support and enhance the understanding of the Catholic faith among our students, staff, and the wider community. This commitment is a testament to our dedication to using technology as a leverage for the common good, ensuring that it serves to enrich and deepen the lives of all those we reach, grounded in the principles of Laudato Si and Catholic Social Teachings.
Would you like more information on the Rome Call for AI Ethics? Visit the RenAIssance Foundation website –
RenAIssance - The call.
© Brisbane Catholic Education (2024)