I was up this morning making the kids’ pancakes and browsing the Pope’s new encyclical (as one does on a Monday) and saw this paragraph.
Today, among the goods that are universally intended for everyone, we must also include new forms of property, such as patents, algorithms, digital platforms, technological infrastructure and data.
In a context where the wealth of nations depends increasingly on knowledge and technology, when these goods remain concentrated in the hands of a few, without adequate forms of sharing and access, a new imbalance is created that contradicts the universal destination of goods. In turn, it widens the gap between the included and the excluded, between those who can participate in the digital revolution and those who remain on the margins.
Furthermore, care for our common home and our responsibility toward the poor and future generations require that the use of the goods of creation and the new possibilities offered by technology be regulated in such a way as to respect the environment, avoid waste and prevent new forms of exploitation.
These days I’m encouraged to see the leaders of virtually any institution show a fraction of an understanding of how technology works. That’s how low the bar is.
To see the Pope write coherent phrases about open source and artificial intelligence is the deepest breath of fresh air.