Pope Leo Urges Politicians to Address Challenges of Artificial Intelligence

Pope Leo cautioned politicians on Saturday about the growing challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), particularly emphasizing its impact on younger generations. Speaking at an event attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and parliamentary delegations from 68 countries, the pope highlighted that AI should serve as a tool to benefit humanity rather than diminish or replace people.

This topic has been a recurring concern for Pope Leo since the early weeks of his papacy. Speaking during the Roman Catholic Jubilee or Holy Year event, he underscored that AI proponents argue the technology can accelerate scientific progress and help free people from routine tasks, enabling more creative and valuable work.

Italian Prime Minister Meloni pledged to uphold the pope’s message, committing Italy to efforts domestically and internationally to ensure AI development remains human-centered, prioritizing human wellbeing. She also referenced the pope’s criticism of the growing divide between the rich and poor in society.

The U.S.-born pope stressed the need to protect healthy, fair lifestyles, especially for the youth, contrasting AI’s “static memory” with the “creative, dynamic” power of human memory. He emphasized that personal life holds greater value than any algorithm, and that social relationships require development spaces beyond the limited frameworks of machine programming.

Since becoming pope in May, Leo has spoken about AI’s threat to employment and urged responsible use of the technology by journalists and society at large.