Cisco signs the Rome Call for AI Ethics

A major technology player joins the call
for an algorethics regulating artificial intelligence

VATICAN CITY, April 24, 2024

"We are very pleased that Cisco has joined the Rome Call because it is a company that plays a crucial role as a technology partner for the adoption and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) by offering expertise in infrastructure, security and protection of AI data and systems. From now on, we will look at how this can further grow to combine the already present corporate commitment with the ethical principles of the Rome Call." These are the words pronounced by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life and the RenAIssance Foundation, commenting on the event today that saw Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, sign the Rome Call for AI Ethics. "When in 2020, for the first time, we proposed to the world's attention the need and urgency to call for algorethics, that is, ethics in the design of the algorithms that underlie artificial intelligence, we immediately understood that the time was ripe," Msgr. Paglia continued. "Today we know that AI is no longer a topic just for experts, and reflecting on the ethics of its development is more urgent than ever. This new signing of the Rome Call demonstrates this."

The ceremony of the signing of the document, which has already been undersigned by international tech players such as Microsoft and IBM, institutions such as FAO, countless universities around the world, companies and individuals as well as representatives of the three Abrahamic religions, took place this morning in Rome.

“AI is fundamentally changing our world – presenting vast opportunities, but also new challenges. For nearly 40 years Cisco has built the networks that connect people and organizations across the globe, and today we are building the critical infrastructure and security solutions that will power the AI revolution,” said Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO, Cisco. “The Rome Call principles align with Cisco’s core belief that technology must be built on a foundation of trust at the highest levels in order to power an inclusive future for all.”

The Rome Call signing ceremony followed an audience with the Holy Father Francesco at the Vatican, during which the Pope received the delegation.

At the end of the event, Father Paolo Benanti, Extraordinary Professor of Ethics of Technologies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Scientific Director of the RenAIssance Foundation and member of the United Nations Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, said, "One of the key elements in addressing the transformations of AI is the enabling of its capabilities, which are rapidly advancing and transforming many sectors. Enabling AI capabilities in an ethical manner requires action in multiple directions: developing large, high-quality, unbiased data sets to train AI models; providing access to cyber infrastructure; building AI competencies; establishing governance frameworks to manage AI development; and providing AI systems that are transparent, accountable, and aligned with human values. Today's Cisco's signature of the Rome Call for AI Ethics is a step forward in this process. This is possible thanks to Cisco's commitment to top-down thinking, proactive governance and risk mitigation, and to a broad perspective on the transformative impact of AI across industries and society."

MORE INSIGHTS

The Rome Call for AI Ethics

The Rome Call for AI Ethics ((www.romecall.org) is a document conceived and promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life, and later by the RenAIssance Foundation (established by Pope Francis specifically for its dissemination) that calls for an ethical approach to artificial intelligence. First endorsed by Microsoft, IBM, FAO and the then Italian government's Ministry of Innovation on Feb. 28, 2020, the Rome Call has sparked a great interest over the years. The idea behind the Rome Call is to foster a sense of shared responsibility among international organizations, governments, institutions, and the private sector in an effort to create a future in which every individual can benefit from advances in technology, and for technological progress to ensure that the dignity of every individual and our common home is respected. By investing in a new algorethics, signatories commit to follow what the Rome Call principles dictate in terms of transparency, inclusion, accountability, impartiality, reliability, security and privacy.

 The RenAIssance Foundation

Established on April 12, 2021, by Pope Francis with public canonical juridical personality, the RenAIssance Foundation is based in Vatican City State, at the Pontifical Academy for Life, and is its instrumental entity. A non-profit Foundation, it aims to support the anthropological and ethical reflection of new technologies on human life, promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life. In order to achieve these goals, the RenAIssance Foundation also aims to encourage scientific initiatives and collaborations with International Bodies, Sovereign States, universities, research centers, private and public companies that develop activities, services and studies in the field of artificial intelligence to spread the Rome Call for AI Ethics. 

 Cisco

Founded in 1984 in California, USA, Cisco is a worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Its purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals. Leveraging the potential of digitization, Cisco operates in several areas: providing solutions, software and equipment for networking, computing, data centers, cloud environments; communication and collaboration platforms; and solutions and services for cybersecurity of networks, data and applications. The company has also developed a worldwide training program, called Cisco Networking Academy, that enables students to learn how to design, implement and maintain networks that support national and global organizations, and to specialize in areas such as application development, cybersecurity and more. Since its founding, this program has offered basic and professional computer skills training to more than 20 million people worldwide.

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