Many homes have been lost in the Pacific Palisades area, a favourite spot for celebrities where multimillion dollar houses nestle on beautiful hillsides
world1 day ago
Pope Francis warned on Thursday of the dangers of misinformation and its spread via social media and artificial intelligence (AI), cautioning it could be "misused to manipulate minds".
In his traditional New Year's address to diplomats at the Vatican, Francis lamented the increasing polarisation of society, "aggravated by the continuous creation and spread of fake news, which not only distorts facts but also perceptions".
"This phenomenon generates false images of reality, a climate of suspicion that foments hate, undermines people's sense of security and compromises civil coexistence and the stability of entire nations," the 88-year-old pontiff said.
Francis regularly rails against fake news.
But his comments on Thursday come two days after tech giant Meta — which owns Facebook — announced it was ending its third-party fact-checking programme in the United States and adopting a crowd-sourced model to police misinformation similar to that of the Elon Musk-owned X.
In remarks directed at political leaders, the pope said: "In our time, the denial of self-evident truths seems to have gained the upper hand."
"These tendencies can be amplified by the modern communications media and by artificial intelligence; they can be misused to manipulate minds for economic, political and ideological ends," he added.
Francis, who has been head of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, emphasised the need for media literacy education to promote critical thinking.
He did not deliver the speech himself, saying he had a cold, but it was read out on his behalf by a senior cleric.
In the address, the pope also warned against "cancel culture", which "tolerates no differences and focuses on individual rights to the detriments of duties towards others, especially the weakest".
He cited as "particularly worrying" attempts to "manipulate multilateral documents — by changing the meaning of terms or unilaterally reinterpreting the content of human rights treaties — in order to advance divisive ideologies".
"In this regard, it is unacceptable, for example, to speak of an alleged 'right to abortion' that contradicts human rights, particularly the right to life," he said.
Francis also cautioned that multilateral institutions risked becoming "like-minded clubs that only let in those who think in the same way" — and as such, said they "no longer seem capable of ensuring peace and stability".
AFP currently works in 26 languages with Facebook's fact-checking programme.
Many homes have been lost in the Pacific Palisades area, a favourite spot for celebrities where multimillion dollar houses nestle on beautiful hillsides
world1 day ago
The 33-year-old woman had not declared the 460 200-gram bars that were distributed among three suitcases
world1 day ago
Lifting more political sanctions would depend on how Syria's new leadership handled the transition and ensured exclusivity, says Foreign Minister Barrot
world1 day ago
Many families were left clinging on to survival in makeshift camps, without even the most basic necessities, such as blankets, says IFRC
world1 day ago
West Bank violence comes amid renewed Gaza ceasefire push
world1 day ago
Hamas demands Israel end war, withdraw troops for hostage release; Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled, hostages free
world1 day ago
From October to November last year, there were more than 3,000 deaths from the virus across 27 countries, according to the WHO
world1 day ago
Evacuations cause traffic jams, residents flee on foot; strong, dry winds fuel fire forecast to worsen; wildfires rip through upscale Pacific Palisades and Pasadena
world1 day ago