Notre Dame to sign Rome Call for AI Ethics, host Global University Summit
The University of Notre Dame will formally sign the Rome Call for AI Ethics on Thursday (Oct. 27), together with the University of Navarra in Spain, Catholic University of Croatia, SWPS University in Poland, Schiller International University in Spain, Chuo University in Japan, University of Johannesburg and University of Florida.
The signing will coincide with a Global University Summit on the Rome Call, held on Oct. 26-27 and co-organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, IBM and Notre Dame. Hosted by the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab and held in-person and virtually, the summit will explore ways in which universities can use the complementary roles of research, education and policy in the development of human-centered approaches to artificial intelligence (AI).
“It’s an honor for the University of Notre Dame to host this global summit and support efforts to promote an ethical approach to artificial intelligence,” said John T. McGreevy, the University’s Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “Notre Dame has long recognized the importance of incorporating responsibility and accountability into our teaching and research. As the world’s technological capabilities increase in areas such as AI, we will continue to identify new ways in which we can advance knowledge in service to humankind.”
Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said, “Education is the key process that enables people, especially the fragile (young and old), not to be subjected to the innovative process but to be able to be participatory actors in it. This initiative is the moment to translate these theoretical value instances into academic practices that can produce adequate guidance and social transformation.”
Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of research at IBM, said, “At IBM, we believe that creating and deploying cutting-edge technologies like AI will transform how we live and work and that this future must be developed responsibly and ethically. As one of the first signers of the Rome Call for AI Ethics, IBM is proud to continue its collaboration with the Pontifical Academy for Life and other like-minded institutions across industry, academia, government and society to ensure we are collectively building a future that is supportive and inclusive of every single person.”
Along with a formal signing ceremony of the new partners, the two-day gathering will include keynote speakers, roundtables and networking events to define collaborative strategies universities can take around the Rome Call for AI Ethics.
The event will be emceed by Francesca Rossi, IBM fellow and AI ethics global leader, together with Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., vice president and associate provost for interdisciplinary initiatives at Notre Dame, and Erin Klawitter, associate director of the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab. Archbishop Paglia and IBM’s Gil will provide remarks at the signing ceremony.
The Rome Call for AI Ethics – established 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 seeks to advance a sense of shared responsibility among international organizations, governments, institutions and the private sector to create a future in which digital innovation and technological progress are focused on humanity.
A complete summit agenda is available here. A full list of participating organizations is available here.
Following the summit, the network of participating universities will collaborate regularly to share updates, discuss innovative ideas and democratize AI ethics solutions.
Contact: Shannon Roddel, Chapla.1@nd.edu
Latest Faith
- Notre Dame receives $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.The University has received a grant of $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to expand the work of the McGrath Institute for Church Life’s Holy Family Initiative for Family Catechesis, which offers parents, caregivers and Church leaders the tools they need to effectively pass on their Catholic faith to the next generation.
- Global works of art from Notre Dame Crucifix Initiative to be displayed at The History MuseumSelected works of art from the Crucifix Initiative will be on display in an exhibit on view starting Thursday (Aug. 10) at The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana. Launched in 2019, the initiative seeks to highlight the globalism of Catholicism — and to represent the diversity and internationalism of the University and its community — by building and displaying a collection of crucifixes from around the world.
- Carolyn Woo to speak at ACE CommencementCarolyn Woo, the retired CEO of Catholic Relief Services and former dean of the Mendoza College of Business, will serve as the keynote speaker at 2023 Commencement Ceremony of the Alliance for Catholic Education on Saturday (July 15).
- Notre Dame Vision program celebrates 20 years of in-person programmingFor the past 20 years, Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students of different majors and walks of life have given their summers to empower high school students to ask big questions during one-week summer conferences on Notre Dame’s campus.
- de Nicola Center presents Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to Robert P. GeorgeClick for a video profile of Robert P. George The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture presented the 2023 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal…
- Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism names new co-directorsAmerican studies and history professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings, who has led the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism for the past 11 years, will step down from the position in June, with Notre Dame historian Darren Dochuk and theologian David Lantigua becoming co-directors. Cummings, the Rev. John A. O'Brien College Professor of History, has been associated with the center for nearly 30 years, starting when she arrived at the University as a doctoral student in history.
