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Now an expert with the Holy See, Salobir chairs the executive committee of the Human Technology Foundation, an organization that promotes ethical reflection on technology and counts Google, Palantir and Qualcomm among its members.
Working with the French Embassy to the Holy See, Salobir helped launch a “French AI Observatory in Rome” in 2024, creating a forum for closed-door exchanges between the technology sector and Vatican officials. Starting under Pope Francis, they have grown more frequent recently.
The April 29 meeting was one of those. In addition to Salobir and the French government official El Haïry, those attending the meeting included Benoit Tabaka, director of institutional relations and public policy for Google in southern Europe; Claire Scharwatt , head of public policy at Amazon France; Claudia Trivilino, public policy manager for Italy and Greece at Meta; and Adrien Abecassis, director of policy initiatives at the Paris Peace Forum and a former adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron.
The focus of the gathering was child protection in the age of AI, but the discussion quickly widened to “the profound impacts of artificial intelligence on human sociability,” said one participant, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “We had lengthy discussions on the foundations of human development, and on the risks that emerge with a tool that is always available for seamless communication, like artificial intelligence.”
The tone, the participant said, was “more humanist than theological.” Some technology executives appeared personally invested in the discussion, while others stuck more closely to their talking points. “In any case, the meeting shows that a part of the Vatican does not reject technology as such, but wants to put it at the service of humanity,” the participant added.
Afterward, participants drafted a summary note that was sent to Clara Chappaz, France’s minister delegate for artificial intelligence and digital affairs, with the aim of feeding into France’s digital policy discussions around the G7.
Washington weighs in
The tech industry isn’t the only constituency trying to shape the Vatican’s thinking.
