The Pope’s puffer jacket and how the Vatican is responding to A.I.

“Balenciaga Pope!” That is what the internet is calling it. 

Photos of Pope Francis wearing a luxury oversized, white puffer jacket, that sells for anywhere up to $6,000, went viral this weekend. 

A single tweet of the pope’s updated winter wardrobe invited 25,000 retweets, and Google Trends reported a dramatic increase in pope-related searches. 

But, however realistic and convincing the photo might have appeared, it was a total fake, generated using an artificial intelligence platform. 

On “Inside the Vatican,” this week co-hosts Ricardo da Silva, S.J. and Gerard O’Connell, look at why some tech bosses are turning to the Vatican for moral guidance as new and evermore sophisticated waves of artificial intelligence take hold.

“What is the moral position on A.I.?”, Ricardo asks. “Has the Vatican said anything about the rapidly growing sophistication of algorithms and artificial intelligence, and the frightening capacity they have to deceive us?”

Later in the show, we parse the revised “Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” Pope Francis’ landmark instruction on the Vatican's procedural norms for dealing with the scourge of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church which goes into effect next month. 

Until now, the instruction had been issued on an experimental three-year basis. On April 30, it will be promulgated definitively into official church law.

Most of the document has remained the same but there are a few important changes, among them the fact that leaders of international lay movements can now be disciplined under church law for abuses committed against those in their care, and those to whom they minister

“This is a work in progress,” Gerry says. “Nobody says the law as issued now is the final word. We may find that in another two years, Francis may well make another amendment to this law.”

Links from the show:

The Vatican is worried about artificial intelligence

Should we be worried about A.I.? Theologians, philosophers and Catholic thinkers weigh in

Pope Francis confirms ‘vulnerable adults’ are covered by updated Vatican sex abuse law

Pope Francis tells bishops of Latin America, where new sex abuse protections aren’t in place, to make it a priority

Please consider supporting this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices