By Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko

What Is Ethics?

To begin this reflection, the best way to proceed is to first understand the philosophical concept of ethics, which is generally defined as the set of moral principles that helps each of us determine what is right or wrong in our actions.

Furthermore, ethics, according to moral philosophers, serves as what can commonly be described as our individual moral handbook—a framework that guides us on how to treat others and make decisions in our daily lives.

For the avoidance of doubt, ethics, as the moral governor of our actions as human beings, comprises the principles that help determine whether we are being truthful, choosing fairness over selfishness, and acting justly. Ethics therefore shapes the kind of person each of us ultimately becomes, as judged by our actions.

Whether you realise it or not, ethics quietly guides our actions and influences how we treat others. From small choices, such as returning extra change, to major decisions, such as standing up for what is right, ethics is always at work behind the scenes.

This writer has gone to some length to define ethics because those moral principles have become particularly relevant at a time when members of the human race are discussing the future of humanity in an era in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing areas of scientific and technological development.

We will consider some of the approaches that have been offered to the scientific community concerning the responsible development of AI, including perspectives attributed to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and one of the world’s most prominent monarchs, King Charles III of the United Kingdom.

Since succeeding the late Pope Francis as the Vicar of Christ on Earth, Pope Leo XIV has articulated guidelines on how humanity should approach and regulate the development of Artificial Intelligence. His theological, scholarly and philosophical reflections have included discussions about how ethical principles should guide technological advancement and protect human dignity.

According to Vatican News, the Pope has emphasised the importance of ensuring that technological progress remains directed towards the common good of humanity. His reflections raise fundamental questions about whether scientific inventions should merely advance human capabilities or whether they must also be governed by moral principles that protect human dignity, social justice and the natural environment.

‘Gravely Immoral’ to Subjugate a Nation

Pope Leo XIV, in his reflections on Catholic social teaching, identified principles concerning the common good and the dignity of every human person.

The common good can be understood as the social expression of the dignity recognised in every person. The Pope has also emphasised the importance of respecting the right of peoples to exist, preserve their identities and contribute their unique qualities to the family of nations.

From this perspective, any attempt to eliminate or subjugate a nation raises profound moral questions and conflicts with the principles of human dignity and the common good.

Technology Must Not Be in the Hands of a Few

The Pope has also emphasised the importance of the universal destination of goods. In this context, he has highlighted the need to ensure that technological advancement does not become concentrated in the hands of a small number of individuals or corporations, thereby widening the gap between those included in the digital revolution and those excluded from it.

The principle of subsidiarity similarly requires societies to avoid excessive centralisation and paternalistic approaches to social life, while encouraging shared responsibility.

Solidarity, another important principle of Catholic social teaching, is both a principle and a virtue. It challenges indifference and requires societies to consider not only those living today but also future generations.

Closely following the broader ethical questions surrounding technological advancement, King Charles III of the United Kingdom has also expressed concern about the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence if the technology falls into the wrong hands.

The King warned AI executives about the “existential dangers” posed by the technology being misused.

He made the comments at a summit convened at Dumfries House in Ayrshire to discuss how technology can be used to benefit society.

Those gathered at the meeting reportedly included Kanishka Narayan, the UK’s AI Minister, the Pope’s adviser, and representatives from major AI companies such as Nvidia, OpenAI and Anthropic.

The King’s intervention came amid a series of warnings from people within the technology industry about the rapidly evolving capabilities of advanced, or “frontier”, AI models and the need for regulation to ensure that such technologies remain under appropriate safeguards.

“Those who have created these technologies are now increasingly warning that AI risks developing darker capacities—perhaps even to take life,” the King told executives.

He said there appeared to be an “urgency” in adequately considering the existential dangers of such technologies falling into the wrong hands and being used in potentially catastrophic ways.

“The task before you is not merely to advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity, community and the natural world,” he told the gathering.

The summit was convened to consider whether a “shared set of principles” could be developed to help guide the future application of AI.

‘Keep Engineering’

Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, was among the leading technology executives attending the summit.

Nvidia is a major player in AI infrastructure, supplying chips to leading AI developers, including OpenAI and Meta.

Huang told the gathering that he believed safety was “paramount”, adding that companies should hold back a product and “keep engineering” if it was not sufficiently safe.

The Nvidia chief executive also highlighted the potential value of open models—systems that give users direct access to the underlying technology—as a way of ensuring that people and countries are not left behind.

He said such systems must also be protected so that “researchers, universities, start-ups and countries” can develop applications that “none of us would have imagined alone”.

“Let us lead with responsible optimism, build AI safely and securely, open it to more people, expand our ambition and solve the problems that matter to the world,” Huang said.

Meanwhile, Sir Demis Hassabis, co-founder of the British AI research laboratory DeepMind, which was later acquired by Google, offered a more cautious assessment of the pace of technological development.

He said artificial general intelligence—systems that could potentially equal or surpass humans across multiple tasks—could be only a few years away and could have an impact many times greater than that of the Industrial Revolution.

A Wave of Warnings

If you think you have heard the most alarming warnings about the unbridled and insufficiently regulated evolution of Artificial Intelligence, then the debate is far from over.

Sir Demis Hassabis acknowledged that the chance of something going wrong was “definitely non-zero”. However, he advocated what he described as “a sensible middle way”, arguing that humanity could address the risks if collectively given the space and time necessary to mitigate them.

“The future is not yet written,” he told the King’s delegates.

Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s chief financial officer, said AI had the potential to solve some of society’s “hardest problems”, but acknowledged that its growing capabilities raised questions about safety and how to ensure that the technology always serves people.

“We need to address those questions together,” she said, adding that no single company or government could address them alone.

The wider debate over AI has intensified, with discussions about its potential power, social consequences and regulation increasingly dominating public discourse, technology forums and social media.

However, some critical observers have argued that the focus on hypothetical future risks could distract attention from more immediate concerns surrounding AI, including its environmental impact, energy consumption, employment consequences, privacy implications and potential use in surveillance and misinformation.

The BBC has reported on concerns among people working in the field about the speed of technological advancement and what it could mean for humanity.

Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger has also expressed concerns about the possibility of human extinction resulting from AI, assigning a significant probability to such an outcome in his personal assessment.

AI industry leaders have similarly weighed in on the debate. OpenAI’s Sam Altman has acknowledged that people are right to be concerned about AI risks while arguing that AI companies must work to ensure that the technology is developed safely.

Ironically, critics argue that AI companies cannot simply be relied upon to regulate themselves.

Some political figures and technology critics have therefore called for stronger government oversight, while others have dismissed some AI safety concerns as exaggerated.

The central question, however, remains the same: how can humanity encourage technological innovation while ensuring that innovation does not undermine human dignity, safety and the common good?

The Moral Responsibility of AI Development

To be on the safe side, there is an immediate necessity for the advancement of AI to be adequately regulated, bearing in mind the critical need to safeguard humanity.

The concerns raised by religious leaders, political figures, scientists and technology executives demonstrate that AI is no longer merely a question of technological innovation. It is increasingly a question of ethics.

Artificial Intelligence should therefore be developed within common ethical frameworks that emphasise the common good of humanity. Its development should not become a race driven exclusively by commercial interests among technology companies.

The fundamental question should be whether AI ultimately serves humanity or whether humanity becomes increasingly subordinate to the technological systems it creates.

Technology must remain a servant of humanity and not become its master.

The ethical responsibility of our generation is therefore to ensure that scientific advancement is accompanied by moral responsibility. The extraordinary power of Artificial Intelligence requires extraordinary responsibility from those who design it, regulate it, finance it and deploy it.

The future of AI should not be determined solely by what technology makes possible. It should also be determined by what humanity considers morally acceptable.

Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko is the founder of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria and a former National Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria.