By Isabella H. de Carvalho

Pope Leo XIV encouraged nations to establish frameworks and regulations on AI so that it can be developed and used according to the common good, in a message sent on July 10 to the participants of the AI for Good Summit, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 8 to 11.  

“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to seek ethical clarity and to establish a coordinated local and global governance of AI, based on the shared recognition of the inherent dignity and fundamental freedoms of the human person”, the message, signed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said.

The summit is organized by the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and is co-hosted by the Swiss government. The event sees the participation of governments, tech leaders, academics and others who are interested and work with AI.

In this “era of profound innovation” where many are reflecting on “what it means to be human”, the world “is at crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence”, the Pope highlighted in his message. 

AI requires ethical management and regulatory frameworks 

“As AI becomes capable of adapting autonomously to many situations by making purely technical algorithmic choices, it is crucial to consider its anthropological and ethical implications, the values at stake and the duties and regulatory frameworks required to uphold those values”, the Pope underlined in his message. 

He emphasized that the “responsibility for the ethical use of AI systems begins with those who develop, manage and oversee them” but users also need to share this mission. AI “requires proper ethical management and regulatory frameworks centered on the human person, and which goes beyond the mere criteria of utility or efficiency,” the Pope insisted. 

Building peaceful societies 

Citing St. Augustine’s concept of the “tranquility of order”, Pope Leo highlighted that this should be the common goal and thus AI should foster “more human order of social relations” and “peaceful and just societies in the service of integral human development and the good of the human family”. 

While AI can simulate human reasoning and perform tasks quickly and efficiently or transform areas such as “education, work, art, healthcare, governance, the military, and communication”, “it cannot replicate moral discernment or the ability to form genuine relationships”, Pope Leo warned. 

For him the development of this technology “must go hand in hand with respect for human and social values, the capacity to judge with a clear conscience, and growth in human responsibility”. It requires “discernment to ensure that AI is developed and utilized for the common good, building bridges of dialogue and fostering fraternity”, the Pope urged. AI needs to serve “the interests of humanity as a whole”.

By Anna Tong

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Contrary to popular belief, using cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools slowed down experienced software developers when they were working in codebases familiar to them, rather than supercharging their work, a new study found.

AI research nonprofit METR conducted the in-depth study on a group of seasoned developers earlier this year while they used Cursor, a popular AI coding assistant, to help them complete tasks in open-source projects they were familiar with.

Before the study, the open-source developers believed using AI would speed them up, estimating it would decrease task completion time by 24%. Even after completing the tasks with AI, the developers believed that they had decreased task times by 20%. But the study found that using AI did the opposite: it increased task completion time by 19%.

The study’s lead authors, Joel Becker and Nate Rush, said they were shocked by the results: prior to the study, Rush had written down that he expected “a 2x speed up, somewhat obviously.”

The findings challenge the belief that AI always makes expensive human engineers much more productive, a factor that has attracted substantial investment into companies selling AI products to aid software development.

AI is also expected to replace entry-level coding positions. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, recently told Axios that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white collar jobs in the next one to five years.

Prior literature on productivity improvements has found significant gains: one study found using AI sped up coders by 56%, another study found developers were able to complete 26% more tasks in a given time.

But the new METR study shows that those gains don’t apply to all software development scenarios. In particular, this study showed that experienced developers intimately familiar with the quirks and requirements of large, established open source codebases experienced a slowdown.

Other studies often rely on software development benchmarks for AI, which sometimes misrepresent real-world tasks, the study’s authors said.

The slowdown stemmed from developers needing to spend time going over and correcting what the AI models suggested.

“When we watched the videos, we found that the AIs made some suggestions about their work, and the suggestions were often directionally correct, but not exactly what’s needed,” Becker said.

The authors cautioned that they do not expect the slowdown to apply in other scenarios, such as for junior engineers or engineers working in codebases they aren’t familiar with.

Still, the majority of the study’s participants, as well as the study’s authors, continue to use Cursor today. The authors believe it is because AI makes the development experience easier, and in turn, more pleasant, akin to editing an essay instead of staring at a blank page.

“Developers have goals other than completing the task as soon as possible,” Becker said. “So they’re going with this less effortful route.”

(Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Sonali Paul)

Earlier this year (2025), OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 achieved a groundbreaking feat: In controlled Turing Test scenarios, it was mistaken for a human 73% of the time when adopting a carefully crafted persona.

That isn’t merely a technological milestone. It’s a paradigm shift in how brands can and should use AI to boost engagement.

As AI transitions from a behind-the-scenes utility to a front-facing conversational partner, marketers must recognize its potential to redefine short-form, high-touch digital interactions.

The Blurred Line: What Happens When AI Feels Human

Persona-driven AI, curated to embody distinct tones, styles, and even values, is already in the wild.

Think customer support agents that mirror Gen Z slang. Think chatbots with the warmth and wit of lifestyle influencers. Think AI-driven avatars hosting livestreams, fielding DMs, or acting as extensions of a brand’s personality.

Those aren’t hypothetical cases. They’re live, and they’re running at scale.

In fact, one study found that 58% of US consumers were already following virtual influencers, a sign that the public is increasingly comfortable engaging with AI-driven agents in personal, even emotional ways.

That human-feel approach makes AI more engaging and more effective, but it also muddies the water: When do audiences believe they’re talking to a real person? Does it matter? And if AI can convincingly “be” a person online, what does authenticity even mean in marketing anymore?

The Power of Persona-Driven AI as a Research Tool

Ironically, one of the best uses of human-like AI isn’t outward-facing at all.

Persona-driven AI can serve as a powerful research tool, offering marketers a dynamic, low-risk sandbox for testing messages, concepts, and campaigns. These AI personas can be designed to represent diverse communities, even mirroring the demographic, cultural, or behavioral traits of specific populations, such as those within a particular country.

By enabling these personas to interact with one another, marketers can simulate complex social dynamics, uncover nuanced reactions, and explore how ideas resonate across different segments without the ethical risks or costs of real-world experimentation.

Companies, including Social Trait, have built and trained persona-driven AI agents to simulate diverse consumer segments for precisely this purpose: real-time insight generation and campaign validation.

Need to understand how different segments might respond to a sensitive campaign? Or how a new product’s tone lands with Gen Z vs. Boomers? A simulated audience can help refine messaging before a single post goes live.

This approach isn’t replacing focus groups or gut instinct. It’s augmenting them. It’s like having a hyper-intelligent sounding board that lets you test, iterate, and learn fast.

Used in this way, AI becomes less about automating engagement and more about deepening it.

Authenticity at Scale: Redefining Brand Voice With AI

Let’s bust a myth: AI needn’t dilute brand voice; it can actually help define and sharpen it.

Persona-driven AI can simulate reactions from different demographics, emotional states, and cultural contexts—allowing marketers to practice empathetic listening at scale.

And it’s not just about saying the right thing to an audience; it’s about anticipating how it will be felt on the other end.