Miron Mironiuk, the founder of the artificial intelligence company Cosmose AI, has gained the support of Pope Francis for his worldwide project aimed at introducing more children to the world of computer programming. Inspired by his own life-changing experience with coding, Mironiuk’s “Code with Pope” initiative seeks to address educational disparities on a global scale, with a special focus on attracting Catholic countries.
The initiative is set to provide free access to coding education through an online learning platform designed for students aged 11-15 in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. After completing 60 hours of dedicated learning, children will acquire a fundamental understanding of Python, one of the world’s most popular programming languages.
In today’s digital age, programming skills have become as essential as traditional literacy. Data from the World Economic Forum in 2023 has shown that the majority of the fastest-growing job roles are technology-related. Nevertheless, a significant global shortage of tech skills threatens to leave 85 million job positions unfilled by 2030. This makes it imperative to increase access to high-quality programming education, especially in low and middle-income countries, many of which have predominantly Catholic populations.
With a substantial percentage of the Polish population identifying as Catholic, Mironiuk, a 33-year-old millionaire, is proud to represent his Polish heritage and contribute to the success of the tech industry. While Poland has made notable advancements in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence, not all countries have been as fortunate. The “Code with Pope” program will be available in Spanish, English, Italian, and Polish, with the aim of reaching children throughout South America (except Brazil) and English-speaking nations in Africa and Southeast Asia.
This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has encouraged young people to explore the world of coding, as he previously contributed to a United Nations initiative in 2019 by writing a line of code. Mironiuk will have the opportunity to meet with the Pope at the Vatican, although he doesn’t expect the pontiff to master Python. Nevertheless, Pope Francis will receive recognition for his role in initiating the program.
