In short
- Pope Leo XIV said AI design choices reflect a vision of humanity, not just technical goals.
- His message built on an earlier Vatican document that warned that AI lacks moral judgment and true empathy.
- The Pope’s comment pushes AI beyond the realm of technical innovations and into morality.
Pope Leo XIV re-entered the global debate on artificial intelligence on Friday, calling the emerging technology a test for humanity’s moral direction.
The after on X marked Leo’s last post on AI since becoming head of the Catholic Church in May. Leo described the development of AI as part of a much larger struggle over who we become as we build systems that learn, decide, and operate on a global scale.
“Technological innovation can be a form of participation in the divine act of creation. It has an ethical and spiritual weight, because every design choice expresses a vision of humanity,” the pope wrote. “The Church therefore calls on all builders of AI to cultivate moral discernment as a fundamental part of their work – to develop systems that reflect justice, solidarity and genuine respect for life.”
Since becoming pope, Leo has made several comments about artificial intelligence. In May, the newly elected Pope Leo explained that he had chosen the name in reference to Pope Leo XIII, who discussed the consequences of the Industrial Revolution in May 1891.
Pope Leo’s final comment resonated Antique and novathe Vatican’s January Teaching on Artificial and Human Intelligence. According to the document, AI can produce cutting-edge results but lacks real thought, lived experience and moral judgment. It warned that without robust human oversight, the technology could worsen inequality, fuel disinformation, expand surveillance and weaken vital human relationships.
In July, the Vatican issued a message on behalf of the new Pope calling on world leaders to approach artificial intelligence with ethically grounded, human-centered governance. The message to the AI for Good Summit 2025 called for AI systems that protect human dignity, strengthen global cooperation and serve the common good.
Pope Leo’s message reiterates the commitment made by the Vatican since the public launch of ChatGPT in 2022 under his predecessor Pope Francis, who wrote that advances in information technology and digital technologies “have already begun to bring about profound transformations in global society and its various dynamics.”
Like his predecessors, Pope Leo drew a line from the upheavals of the Industrial Revolution to the rise of AI. He said technology will reshape the world – but should not redefine what it means to be human.
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