Pope Warns Against Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Pope Leo XIV has warned against the dangers of artificial intelligence, stating that new technologies must 'remain at the service of the human person', rather than becoming 'yet another instrument of domination and injustice.'

Speaking at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, the pontiff declared that AI risks impoverishing human 'ideas and relationships' through a 'process of dehumanisation', while also criticising the ever-growing emphasis on productivity in modern societies.

Delivering his speech in both French and English, he argued that judging people according to the 'criterion of efficiency' risked undermining respect for human dignity, leading 'those who are no longer productive' to be rejected and discarded.

Regulatory Oversight and Safeguards

The Pope stressed the need to ensure that emerging technologies offer adequate safeguards for children, stating that the 'vulnerability' of young people must 'never become an opportunity for exploitation.'

European policymakers have been grappling with how to protect children from online harms, with measures such as school phone bans already in place, while the European Commission has proposed the Kids Act, which could restrict social media access for children under 13.

War and International Cooperation

The Pope also addressed war and reference UNESCO's motto, 'since wars begin in the minds of women and men, it is in the minds of women and men that the defences of peace must be constructed.'

Against this backdrop, the Pope declared that 'humanity has come to realise that scientific progress, when it's severed from wisdom, can turn into a weapon of destruction.'

He also reflected on the role of international institutions, saying they are viewed 'with mixed feelings': on the one hand acting as bodies which tackle challenges that 'no single state can face alone', while also 'undergoing a crisis of effectiveness, especially when dialogue is seen as an obstacle to action.'

In response, the pontiff called for greater 'trust.'

Trust that differences do not necessarily pose a threat. Trust that sincere dialogue can bring about a greater good than what each person could achieve alone,' he said.