Biden to meet Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 summit

U.S. President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Pope Francis during their meeting at the Vatican, Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. President Joe Biden is expected to meet with Pope Francis on Friday at the Vatican, where the two most notable Roman figures in the World Catholics plan to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and poverty. The president is proud of his Catholic faith, using it as a moral guide to shape many of his social and economic policies. (Vatican Media via AP)

BARI, Italy (NewsNation) — President Joe Biden will meet privately with Pope Francis on Friday on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in southern Italy.

This will be their second meeting in person. This follows a recent jury guilty verdict against Biden’s son, Hunter, on gun charges linked to his drug addiction, and Biden’s support for the Supreme Court’s decision to preserve access to mifepristone, an abortion pill.

Francis, who is participating in the G7 talks as the first pontiff to do so, is expected to call for peace in Ukraine and Gaza and address the dangers of artificial intelligence.

What is Pope Francis’ message to the G7?

Pope Francis intends to take the opportunity to join the chorus of countries and global bodies calling for stronger AI safeguards, following the chatbot-driven boom in generative artificial intelligence ChatGPT from OpenAI.

This is not the first time that François has spoken out about AI and the risks it presents.

A fake image of the pope wearing a white down jacket went viral last year, sparking discussions about misinformation spread using AI technology. Francis is committed to promoting transparency and accountability when developing AI, according to NPR.

While warning against the misuse of AI, Francis reiterates that AI can be developed and used for the good of humanity. It is expected to provide examples of how AI can be used to help the poor and the environment, NPR said.

His remarks came hours after he met with dozens of comedians at the Vatican Friday morning, including Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock and Whoopi Goldberg, at a so-called “comedy conclave” focused on how the Church can engage in pop culture.

It’s unclear whether Biden’s recent remarks on birth control will be brought up during the meeting.

Will Beijing be a topic of discussion?

Negotiations with China top Friday’s agenda, alongside Francis’ historic remarks, with a major focus on China’s manufacturing capabilities and its support for Russia.

Chinese imports are also likely to be discussed, as the United States and the European Union have divergent views on how to deal with China’s flooding of global markets with cheap goods.

NewsNation digital producer Devan Markham and the Associated Press contributed to this report.