Saint Peter's Basilica. Photo source: Dreamstime.com.
The service will allow worshipers to watch services on their smartphone, via QR code, in 60 languages. “We want to serve the mission that defines the center of the Catholic Church,” Cardinal Mauro Gambetti said of the new technology, according to EuroNews.com.
“St. Peter's Basilica has received, for centuries, believers from all nations and languages,” the cardinal, who is also the vicar general of the Vatican, said in a statement. He added that by providing a tool that helps people understand the words of the liturgy, the institution follows its universal vocation.
The AI translation will work via a QR code that attendees can scan at the Vatican entrances. They will then benefit from real-time audio and text translations through their web browsers without having to download an app.
The translation system uses Lara, an artificial intelligence developed by the language solutions company Translated, in collaboration with Carnegie-AI LLC and Professor Alexander Waibel, a pioneer in speech translation based on artificial intelligence.
Asked if the AI translation tool can have errors, the company's CEO and co-founder said that while every translation contains imperfections, “Lara has taken a significant step forward in reducing them.”
“Lara is designed to be precise rather than eager to please. This significantly limits hallucinations. Lara also uses more context than previous technologies, which allows it to clarify meaning much more effectively,” he told Euronews Next.
The project's scientific adviser, Alexander Waibel, pointed out that the technology demonstrates the potential of AI to enhance human understanding, offering the possibility to “break language barriers in real time”.
While the Vatican appears to be accepting of AI, Pope Leo XIV said in January that he is concerned that “behind this enormous invisible force that affects us all are only a few companies” and fears “an oligopolistic control of AI”. He had previously stated that artificial intelligence poses a challenge to the defense of “human dignity, justice and work”.
Photo source: Dreamstime.com.
