The French Embassy in Malta, the Alliance française de Malte-Méditerranée and the Archbishop’s Delegate for Culture are organising a public lecture in English on Monday, 3rd February at 6pm at the Catholic Institute in Floriana, on the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence with participation of top researcher Prof. Alexei Grinbaum from Paris-Saclay University, one week before the diplomatic summit on action for AI in Paris (10-11 February).

The discussion will revolve around the new chatbots that have evolved in the new era of talking machines that everybody is facing, and whether we should trust an artificial intelligence system with technologies operating in the depths of knowledge. Prof. Alexei Grinbaum will decipher the new era of these new talking machines which are challenging the monopoly that humans have on linguistic expression. Rev. Dr Jean Gové shall discuss some of the entirely new challenges posed by AI, including the risks of artificial manipulation and moral deskilling. Yentl Spiteri will present her insight and experience using AI as a creative practitioner and founder of a creative hub.

After the conference, the public will be invited to have a drink and experience virtual reality headsets provided by the Alliance Française. Prof. Alexei Grinbaum will also be signing his new book ‘Parole de machines’, which will be available for purchase.

The event is free but registration is required through this link : Bit.Iy|EthicaI-challenges-of-ai or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]

Prof. Alexei Grinbaum is senior research scientist at CEA-Saclay with a background in quantum information theory. He writes on ethical questions of emerging technologies, including robotics and AI. Grinbaum is the chair of the CEA Operational Ethics Committee for Digital Technologies and former member of the French National Digital Ethics Committee (CNPEN). He coordinates and contributes to several Horizon projects and serves as ethics expert to the European Commission. His books include “Mécanique des étreintes” (2014), “Les robots et ie mal” (2019), and “Parole de machines” (2023).

Rev. Dr Jean Gové is a Research Affiliate at the AI & Humanity Lab at the University of Hong Kong. His current research is primarily focused on questions relating to cognition and consciousness in AI. He is also engaged in exploring certain ethical aspects of AI tools, such as AI manipulation, and wider transhumanist issues. Locally, Fr Gové is the Diocesan Coordinator for Al-related activity for the Archdiocese of Malta. Fr Gové frequently guest-lectures at the AI Department at the University of Malta. He also currently occupies a number of advisory roles and is the Coordinator of the European AI Research Group within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Yentl Spiteri is the founder of Von Peach, a creative hub based in Switzerland working within global teams in large corporations across industries in Pharma and Insurance. Yentl Spiteri has been involved in the Swiss and international startup scene the past 6 years. She has gained experience in product management and creatively scaling up platforms to international markets.

The Artificial Intelligence Action Summit

On 10 and 11 February 2025, France will host the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit, gathering at the Grand Palais (Paris), Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, CEOs of small and large companies, representatives of academia, non-governmental organizations, artists and members of civil society.

The aim of this summit is to clarify the global governance of AI discussed at the United Nations, the G7 and the OECD. One of the summit’s themes will be devoted to AI in the service of the general interest, with plans to promote the creation of commons and freely accessible open-source technologies. French authorities also hope to initiate a coalition at the summit aimed at standardizing energy consumption measurements or favoring smaller AI models.

Lastly, the summit plans to discuss information manipulation and cybersecurity in order to prevent the misuse of AI and to anticipate the consequences of AI on employment and on the creative sector.