WASHINGTON (TNND) — Faith leaders requested that lawmakers ensure that there are legal safeguards to make sure humans control artificial-intelligence weapons.
In a letter to members of Congress first obtained by Axios, faith leaders make clear that they want humans controlling AI-weapons, not machines.
“We write to you as shepherds of our communities, as people of faith who believe that the sanctity of human life is a sacred obligation,” the letter reads. “As AI tools are increasingly used in a military context, we urge Congress to establish legal boundaries governing when and how the Pentagon may deploy AI-powered autonomous weapons, ensuring that the men and women of our Armed Forces are always entrusted to make the final decision on when to take a life.”
Leaders of different religions signed the letter, including Mormons, Jews, Christians and Buddhists.
The letter was specifically sent to ranking members and chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.
“It is our duty to construct guardrails before, not after, lives are taken,” the letter reads. “The moral framework of lethal AI systems cannot be based on internal documents that are subject to change and reinterpretation without public discussion or democratic approval.”
AI has made headlines in recent months, specifically with AI data centers going up all over the country.
Many people in different states have protested AI data centers coming into their communities. In Wisconsin, residents used a ballot measure to block a proposed AI facility.