The Archbishop of Canterbury

My Lords, artificial intelligence is a topic of such vast breadth and consequence. I am deeply aware that we have covered a huge variety of issues today but have still only scratched the surface. I hope that today’s debate has been a helpful opportunity for a longer discussion on this most salient of topics—one that goes beyond party-political debate to address the deeper questions and challenges at stake, and considers the practicalities around decisions on AI for real people, for our relationships with one another and for society. I am deeply grateful to noble Lords for having covered so many areas of expertise and to the Minister for responding to this debate. I am grateful that we have spent time focusing on the positive opportunities that AI brings, not least in the contributions from the noble Baronesses, Lady Bottomley, Lady Uddin and Lady Fall, and the noble Lords, Lord Ahmad, Lord Johnson and Lord Shinkwin. I am grateful that we have spent time considering what it is to be human, as well as the dignity that is inherent in us as human beings. I am grateful that the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, recognises that we have here a shared common ground between those of faith and those of no faith. There were many contributions on this topic, not least from the noble Lords, Lord Tarassenko and Lord Knight, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Gill and Lady Teather. I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alderdice— I think he was followed on this by the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson—for his comments about the difference between what is human and what is machine intelligence. That topic was also picked up by the noble Lord, Lord Carter, as well as the noble Lord, Lord Johnson of Marylebone, who began to explore what judgment was. I am very grateful that the noble Baroness, Lady Prashar, quoted Tennyson: “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers”. We spent a great deal of time speaking about relationships between ourselves and with society. That was picked up by the noble Lords, Lord Knight, Lord Nagaraju and Lord Rook, and the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, who were particularly concerned about the risk of relationships with technology rather than with people. The noble Lord, Lord Ahmad, spoke powerfully about the impact of AI on relationships and social structures, particularly those within the family. The noble Baroness, Lady Fall, spoke about her concern that AI had brought conversation to a close. I was also grateful to my right reverend friend the Bishop of Leicester for his comment that this goes beyond the family to wider society, and to us acting as a healthy community. I was very grateful for the reminder from the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad, that the gift of human relationships is often within our flaws, and I was encouraged that the noble Baroness, Lady Fall, mentioned love. Of course, as a Christian, I believe that love forgives all things and bears all things. Maybe one of the most concerning areas that we have brought out today is the impact on young people. I was very grateful for the contribution from the noble Lord, Lord Rook, among others. The noble Lord, Lord Johnson of Lainston, spoke about the fact that we need to prepare our young people, which we absolutely do. That was expanded on by the noble Baroness, Lady Stuart, who spoke about the preparation in employment and decision-making, while others spoke about education. The noble Lord, Lord Markham, reminded us that change has occurred throughout history; however, that does not mean that we should not prepare for the change that is in front of us. Many noble Lords, including the noble Baronesses, Lady Prashar, Lady Helic and Lady Owen, spoke about our responsibility in addressing these concerns, whether at a governmental level, at a corporate level or in the hands of our own actions. I was very grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Owen, for mentioning the balance between pacing and not being outrun as we take this topic forward. It was a very helpful reminder to hear from the noble Lord, Lord Waldegrave, and then the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, that we need to invest in humanities. If we are to develop an ethical framework in which we can make these decisions and be informed, that will be at the heart of doing it. The noble Baroness, Lady Teather, also reminded us that, in doing that, we need the space and partnership to discuss those issues and to reflect on the breadth that we have within our society. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Brooke, for his challenge to the Church of England, Anglicanism and faith groups to facilitate that discussion and reflection on a global stage. We spoke a lot about the responsibility for governance and regulation. There were some helpful reminders from the noble Lords, Lord Waldegrave and Lord Taylor, and the noble Baroness, Lady Bottomley, of the need for us to look to our past to learn for our present and our future. I was grateful for the contributions from the noble Lords, Lord Holmes and Lord Brooke, about whether we need to invest in our own model. This was also picked up by my right reverend friend the Bishop of Oxford when he spoke about the BBC. In mentioning my right reverend friend, I would like to recognise the contribution that he has made on this topic over a number of years. It has enriched not just the Church but, I believe, government and society. I was grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Frost, for bringing us back perhaps to where we started: the overriding need for us to have confidence in our own humanity. My right reverend friend the Bishop of Portsmouth encouraged us to claim and not give away the agency that we have in that gift. I am also grateful to the noble Lords, Lord Cashman and Lord Griffiths, for their reminder to us that it is often those in society who are least able to manage change whom the change falls most significantly upon. AI brings with it real and positive opportunities, but we need to ensure that it is being designed, built, regulated and used to the service of our glorious humanity, not to diminish it: to make us more human, not less. There is nothing so precious to God on this earth than human life. That is the heart of the Christian message and we must do all that we can to treasure it, too.