The University of Notre Dame will officially sign it Rome call for AI ethics on Thursday (October 27) along with the University of Navarra in Spain, the Catholic University of Croatia, SWPS University in Poland, Schiller International University in Spain, Chuo University in Japan, the University of Johannesburg and the University of Florida.
The signature coincides with a Global University Summit at the Rome Call, which took place on October 26th and 27th and co-organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, IBM and Notre Dame. Provided until Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab and the summit will be held in person and virtually explore how universities can leverage the complementary roles of research, education, and policy in developing human-centric approaches to artificial intelligence (AI).
“The University of Notre Dame is honored to host this global summit and to support efforts to advance an ethical approach to artificial intelligence,” said John T. McGreevy, Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of the university. “Notre Dame has long recognized the importance of building responsibility and accountability into our teaching and research. As the world’s technological capabilities increase in areas like AI, we will continue to find new ways to advance knowledge at the service of humanity.”
Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said: “Education is the key process that allows people, especially the frail (young and old), not to be subject to the innovation process, but to be able to participate in it. This initiative is the moment to translate these theoretical instances of value into academic practices that can bring about appropriate guidance and social transformation.”
Darío Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at IBM, said: “At IBM, we believe that the development and deployment of cutting-edge technologies such as AI will transform the way we live and work and that this future must be managed responsibly and ethically. As one of the first signatories to the Rome Call for AI Ethics, IBM is proud to continue its collaboration with the Pontifical Academy for Life and other like-minded institutions from industry, academia, government and society to ensure we build a future together that makes this possible is supportive and inclusive of every single person.”
In addition to a formal signing ceremony for the new partners, the two-day gathering will include keynote speakers, discussion panels and networking events to define cooperation strategies that universities can adopt around the Rome Call for AI Ethics.
The event will be moderated by Francesca Rossi, IBM Fellow and the world’s leading AI ethicist, along with Rev. Robert A. Dowd, CSC, Vice President and Associate Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Notre Dame, and Erin Klawitter, Associate Director of Notre Dame -IBM Technology Ethics Lab. IBM’s Archbishop Paglia and Gil will make comments at the signing ceremony.
The Rome Call for AI Ethics – founded in 2020 and originally signed by the Pontifical Academy for Life, IBM, Microsoft, FAO and the Italian Ministry of Innovation – is a commitment to promote an ethical approach to the design, development and deployment of AI It aims to foster a sense of shared responsibility among international organizations, governments, institutions and the private sector to create a future where digital innovation and technological advances are centered on humanity.
A full summit agenda can be found here. A full list of participating organizations is available here.
After the summit, the network of participating universities will work together regularly to share updates, discuss innovative ideas, and democratize AI ethics solutions.
Contact: Shannon Roddel, [email protected]
