Vatican’s AI warnings resurface as researchers warn it could ‘kill all humans’
Warnings from top Artificial Intelligence researchers that AI “could kill all humans” within the next ten years, have caused more urgent demands for international regulation over the emergence of superhuman systems. Computer scientist Dame Wendy Hall said she was shocked that AI company staff spoke publicly of the warning and suggested people should stop using Open AI and Anthropic platforms in protest, if this is what the systems are capable of. The Vatican has already warned of the risks of AI, with Pope Leo’s encyclical saying AI can amplify “anti-human vision” and pleading for humans to always be in control. It has set up a commission to keep monitoring developments. There are calls for development to be slowed while an international agreement can be put in place, but there is no forum with this on the agenda. The nearest is an event reported to be hosted by King Charles and taking place in Scotland later this month, when 30 eminent AI specialists, including the Vatican’s AI adviser Paolo Benanti, will meet to discuss concerns.
Met Police launches criminal investigation into Reform UK funding
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that allegations arising from an undercover report into the funding of Reform UK will form part of its ongoing criminal investigation into potential breaches of electoral law concerning foreign political donations. The report, broadcast on Channel 4 News, showed conversations with senior party aides James Orr, Reform UK’s head of policy who is also associate professor in the philosophy of religion at Cambridge University’s Faculty of Divinity, and Dan Jukes, the party’s political communications advisor. They were involved in discussions with a fictitious American company over the funding of three opinion polls commissioned by the party, costing a total of £32,500. Further conversations filmed in the report concerned a suggestion that a donation of £500,000 could be made by the American company through a supposed UK based son. No donation was made. James Orr and Dan Jukes have since stepped down from their roles. A Reform UK spokesman said the party denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation.
Some British rabbis express support for sanctions on Israeli settlements
The Guardian reports that several prominent British rabbis have backed sanctions on Israeli settlements. The decision has been criticised by the Chief Rabbi, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council. But the Guardian has found the sanctions are supported by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, a senior rabbi of Masorti Judaism, Rabbi Jeremy Gordon of New London Synagogue and Rabbi Lev Taylor of Kingston Liberal Synagogue, who said the government is moving in the right direction. Rabbi Alexandra Wright from the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London, said action was needed as “the occupation and escalating violence are harming Palestinians and Israelis”. Article is here.
Muslim Council of Britain says sanctions are welcome but long overdue
The Muslim Council of Britain has welcomed the UK government’s ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, but said it was long overdue. It said the UK had failed to uphold its international obligations following the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion, which found Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, to be unlawful. The court also found that Israel’s policies and practices amounted to the annexation of large parts of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The MCB urged the government to ensure that those responsible for crimes against humanity are held to account and that Palestinians can exercise their right to an independent state.
How new ideas of the universe, consciousness and soul help understanding of life
A project to examine how new understandings of the universe can support lives of meaning, purpose, and hope, has been awarded a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The project is called “Modern Meaning: Spiritual Yearning and the Quest for a Flourishing World” and is being run by the Center for Process Studies in Oregon. It will review how new ideas of mind, nature, and value can contribute to a new vision of reality. The Center says that rising interest in frameworks such as panentheistic (universal spirit of God), panpsychic (consciousness, mind, or soul is a fundamental feature of all physical matter), and process-relational perspectives (everything is connected) , may help illuminate these questions while remaining in constructive dialogue with contemporary science. More here
Review into church handling of David Tudor case expected in early 2027
The Church of England has announced that the final version of the Safeguarding Practice Review into its handling of the former priest, David Tudor, is not expected to be ready for publication until early 2027, because of an ongoing legal process and police investigation. Tudor, a former Team Rector of Canvey Island in the Diocese of Chelmsford, was made an Honorary Canon of Chelmsford Cathedral in 2015, but was suspended in 2019 after allegations of abuse in the 1980s. He has been prohibited from ministry for life. The review will examine how the Church handled the allegations over a long period of time and how it responded to victims and survivors.
‘The Singing Bible’ – every chapter sung in 16 musical styles, from sea shanty to hip-hop
A new website The Singing.Bible offers each chapter of the Bible set to music, from a selection of 16 styles including Jazz, Praise, Country, Hip-Hop, Sea Shanty and Barbershop Quartet. Sometimes the words are sung and sometimes they are read with a musical backing. The collection holds 38,048 chapter recordings of all 1,189 chapters in all 16 chosen musical styles. Launched on 25 August, the site has already attracted more than one million plays across 194 countries. It was created by a businessman from Colorado, Ron Forseth, who engaged a team of producers, engineers and managers, working alongside AI. He told the Religion News Service: “Music has an extraordinary capacity to make words stay with us. Our hope is that TheSinging.Bible helps scripture find its way into hearts, places and moments where people might not otherwise sit down and read”. The Singing.Bible is free and comes with resources for use in worship and ministry.
