Speaking to international experts at a Vatican-led seminar, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that the human person must remain at the center of artificial intelligence development. Addressing participants at the meeting titled “The Future of AI: A Dialogue Between the Vatican and the Scientific World on the Developments and Applications of Intelligent Technologies,” the Pontiff warned against reducing human beings to simple data points and stressed the critical need to safeguard the common good.
The event, jointly organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Future of Life Institute, brought together global scholars, scientists, and ethicists to examine the societal impacts of rapidly advancing technologies. Pope Leo acknowledged a shared sense of unease among the attendees regarding current AI trends, noting that while society recognizes the correct ethical direction to take, concrete actions to guide AI development remain insufficient. He praised the gathering’s transdisciplinary approach as a necessary step toward addressing these complex modern challenges.
Reaffirming moral frameworks set by his predecessor, Pope Leo recalled Pope Francis’s 2024 address to G7 leaders, which described artificial intelligence as an “exciting and fearsome tool” and asserted that machines must never be granted the power to take a human life. Building on this legacy, Pope Leo outlined five core principles from his own encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.
The future of AI is not pre-determined, meaning society retains the agency to shape its trajectory.
Machines are tools, not people, and must never be treated as human substitutes.
Certain critical decisions can never be delegated to automated systems, especially those affecting human life and dignity.
Intelligent technologies must be explicitly directed toward the common good.
Robust institutions and regulatory frameworks are necessary to translate ethical principles into real-world practices.