J
Joshua Fagbemi
Guest
The global seat of the Catholic faith, The Vatican has launched an Artificial Intelligence-enabled service for St Peter’s Basilica. The new model will allow citizens and tourists to have virtual access to the ancient church’s Renaissance-era architectural treasures during the holy year.
As the Catholic Church’s Jubilee celebrations in 2025 draw nearer, the new experiences were unveiled as part of the Holy Year’s preparation. The event comes around every 25 years in a century.
For the AI model, the church collaborated with big tech company Microsoft, and Iconem, a company that specializes in heritage site digitalization. The Vatican launched a new interactive website, a digital replica of the basilica, and two AI-enabled exhibitions. On record, about 40,000-50,000 people visit the Basilica daily.
A general view of the entrance of a new AI-enhanced exhibition with the dome of the Saint Peter’s Basilica in the background as the Vatican presents new AI-enabled exhibitions developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
A 3D model of St. Peter’s was built scanning the basilica using drones, cameras, and lasers. AI algorithms pieced together, elaborated, and completed the data. Drones flew at night for 4 weeks, taking over 400,000 photographs and collecting the equivalent of a 6 km-high column of DVDs in data. Data from the digital twin will also be instrumental in the preservation and restoration of the project.
“St. Peter’s is like a starry sky on a summer night: you remain enchanted by its splendour,” said St Peter’s archpriest Cardinal Mauro Gambetti. He also attested that the new AI tools would act like a telescope or spaceship for better viewing.
When the project was presented to him on Monday, Pope Francis acknowledged that AI can broaden access to knowledge. Meanwhile, he warned that it must only be used in an ethical way that benefits humanity.
“The correct and constructive use of (AI’s) potential, which is certainly useful but can be ambivalent, depends on us,” he said.
Visitors look at AI-generated images of the interiors of St. Peter’s Basilica as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
Also speaking, Microsoft President, Brad Smith expressed how the AI model is set to project St. Peter’s Basilica and make it easily accessible all over the world. “We are taking St. Peter’s not just to the world but to a new generation of people, in a language that is more accessible for the times we live in,” he told reporters.
On Thursday, Pope Francis started the countdown to the 2025 Holy Year. The Jubilee Celebrations or Holy Year is one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most important events and is expected to draw tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome.
A Holy Year usually happens once every 25 years. It can only be especially celebrated outside this period when a pope calls an extraordinary one to call attention to a particular issue or celebrate a momentous event. The first Roman Catholic Holy Year is believed to have been instigated by Pope Boniface seven centuries ago.
Pope Francis shakes hands with Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith at the St. Peter’s Basilica, as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica, at the Vatican, November 11, 2024. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS
The last ordinary Holy Year was held in 2000 under Pope John Paul II. The next extraordinary Holy Year was called by Francis in 2016 to emphasize his desire to present the Church as merciful and welcoming rather than moralizing and remote.
During a Jubilee, Catholics can obtain special indulgences, or remission of their sins, if they fulfil certain conditions and do good works or make pilgrimages. The Vatican website says a Holy Year should also be a time of reconciliation with adversaries and an occasion to promote solidarity, hope, and justice in the world.
The Holy Doors, which symbolize the doorway of salvation for Catholics, are only opened during Jubilee years. There are four such doors in Rome — St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.
St. Peter’s will be the focal point, with its door opening on Dec. 24 and closing on Jan. 6, 2026. Traditionally, pilgrims passing through these doors secure the remission of their sins. Other Holy Doors will be designated around the world, with Francis saying he wanted to open one in a prison.
Also Read: Google to introduce digital watermark to detect AI images, launches Duet AI for Workspace
The post Holy Year: Vatican launches AI service for St. Peter’s Basilica first appeared on Technext.
As the Catholic Church’s Jubilee celebrations in 2025 draw nearer, the new experiences were unveiled as part of the Holy Year’s preparation. The event comes around every 25 years in a century.
For the AI model, the church collaborated with big tech company Microsoft, and Iconem, a company that specializes in heritage site digitalization. The Vatican launched a new interactive website, a digital replica of the basilica, and two AI-enabled exhibitions. On record, about 40,000-50,000 people visit the Basilica daily.
A general view of the entrance of a new AI-enhanced exhibition with the dome of the Saint Peter’s Basilica in the background as the Vatican presents new AI-enabled exhibitions developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
A 3D model of St. Peter’s was built scanning the basilica using drones, cameras, and lasers. AI algorithms pieced together, elaborated, and completed the data. Drones flew at night for 4 weeks, taking over 400,000 photographs and collecting the equivalent of a 6 km-high column of DVDs in data. Data from the digital twin will also be instrumental in the preservation and restoration of the project.
“St. Peter’s is like a starry sky on a summer night: you remain enchanted by its splendour,” said St Peter’s archpriest Cardinal Mauro Gambetti. He also attested that the new AI tools would act like a telescope or spaceship for better viewing.
When the project was presented to him on Monday, Pope Francis acknowledged that AI can broaden access to knowledge. Meanwhile, he warned that it must only be used in an ethical way that benefits humanity.
“The correct and constructive use of (AI’s) potential, which is certainly useful but can be ambivalent, depends on us,” he said.
Visitors look at AI-generated images of the interiors of St. Peter’s Basilica as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
Also speaking, Microsoft President, Brad Smith expressed how the AI model is set to project St. Peter’s Basilica and make it easily accessible all over the world. “We are taking St. Peter’s not just to the world but to a new generation of people, in a language that is more accessible for the times we live in,” he told reporters.
What you should know about The Vatican’s Holy Year
On Thursday, Pope Francis started the countdown to the 2025 Holy Year. The Jubilee Celebrations or Holy Year is one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most important events and is expected to draw tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome.
A Holy Year usually happens once every 25 years. It can only be especially celebrated outside this period when a pope calls an extraordinary one to call attention to a particular issue or celebrate a momentous event. The first Roman Catholic Holy Year is believed to have been instigated by Pope Boniface seven centuries ago.
Pope Francis shakes hands with Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith at the St. Peter’s Basilica, as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica, at the Vatican, November 11, 2024. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS
The last ordinary Holy Year was held in 2000 under Pope John Paul II. The next extraordinary Holy Year was called by Francis in 2016 to emphasize his desire to present the Church as merciful and welcoming rather than moralizing and remote.
During a Jubilee, Catholics can obtain special indulgences, or remission of their sins, if they fulfil certain conditions and do good works or make pilgrimages. The Vatican website says a Holy Year should also be a time of reconciliation with adversaries and an occasion to promote solidarity, hope, and justice in the world.
The Holy Doors, which symbolize the doorway of salvation for Catholics, are only opened during Jubilee years. There are four such doors in Rome — St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.
St. Peter’s will be the focal point, with its door opening on Dec. 24 and closing on Jan. 6, 2026. Traditionally, pilgrims passing through these doors secure the remission of their sins. Other Holy Doors will be designated around the world, with Francis saying he wanted to open one in a prison.
Also Read: Google to introduce digital watermark to detect AI images, launches Duet AI for Workspace
The post Holy Year: Vatican launches AI service for St. Peter’s Basilica first appeared on Technext.