The Archbishop of Canterbury said that artificial intelligence is degrading and trampling on the rights of humanity.
Dame Sarah Mullally made the comments during a debate in the House of Lords on Friday morning, calling on peers to consider the impact of AI on human relationships and society as a whole.
She described AI as a "wonderful product of human creativity" but warned that it is finding "new ways to degrade [humanity] and violate its rights." She also stated that AI regulation is "completely inadequate" to prevent harm and called on major tech companies to adopt a "pro-human" approach.
In her speech to colleagues, she acknowledged the benefits of AI, including advances in science, medicine, and nursing. However, she emphasized that human capital is indispensable.
«"A threat to dignity"»
She added: «Unfortunately, there are other uses of AI today that, instead of enhancing human dignity, provide new opportunities to degrade or violate it.».
«"A recent report from Durham University presents evidence that chatbots are now facilitating violence against women and girls by allowing scenes of incest, child sexual abuse and rape to be acted out with virtually no safeguards, threatening to normalise and legitimise such abuses.".
«This harm is not simply the result of user misuse – the design decisions, policies, and governance failures of AI platforms encourage and facilitate it, and existing regulation is woefully inadequate to prevent it.».
She also told colleagues: "We must ensure that artificial intelligence is designed, built, regulated and used for the benefit of our glorious humanity, not to diminish it.".
She added: «We must put people above profit, convenience, or technological progress at all costs to ensure that we use AI for the benefit of humanity, so that it becomes an outstanding tool in creating a more just, prosperous, and hopeful world.».
The archbishop's debate came after Pope Leo XIV addressed the issue of artificial intelligence in his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, arguing that it threatens human dignity by turning the ownership of our data into a new form of slavery.
Both Christian leaders emphasized the need for AI to serve humanity and the public good.
Dame Sarah, the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to hold this position in the archdiocese's 1,400-year history, is also a former Chief Nursing Officer of England. She assumed this position in 1999 at the age of 37, making her the youngest person ever to hold the post.
Religious leaders have said that big tech companies must ensure that artificial intelligence does not harm people.
She also told the Lords that robots should under no circumstances replace nurses.
She said: "If you want to see the potential of AI to serve humanity, you need look no further than all fields of science.".
«"We see the potential of artificial intelligence in nursing. Nursing and medical care are areas where the value of human dignity is most tangible and practical.".
However, she added: "I don't believe a robot or an AI model will ever replace humans in some of these areas.".
«"Sitting at a patient's bedside while delivering very difficult news, or supporting a woman during labor, are moments of deep emotional intensity when human touch, eye contact, and emotional intelligence are invaluable.".
«"However, there are many ways in which AI is having a huge positive impact on healthcare. AI is starting to make childbirth safer—from automated ultrasounds to tools for predicting preeclampsia and continuous fetal heart rate monitoring.".
Her comments come amid the growing integration of technology into the healthcare sector, and the fact that robotic surgery has long been in use. In April 2024, hundreds of American nurses protested the use of AI in hospitals, warning that these tools diminish the value of nursing practice and are unregulated.
In Japan, which has a so-called "super-aging" society, with the proportion of elderly people growing faster than anywhere else in the world, humanoid robots have been used for many years as supplementary medical workers in nursing homes.
A 2018 survey found that more than 80 percent of respondents had a positive attitude toward the use of robots in patient care.
Meanwhile, an Australian study published in the journal Nurse Educator in 2024 concluded that nurses need to be prepared to "reimagine their profession" and called for a "paradigm shift in understanding what nursing is in a digital world.".
Try The Telegraph today for full free access. Discover their award-winning website and essential news app, plus helpful tools and expert guides on finance, health, and leisure.