Pope Leo XIV: Don't Lose Humanity in a 'Paradise of Machines'

Pope Leo XIV warned on Friday that people risk losing their humanity by relying too much on artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology. He spoke to French diplomats, including President Emmanuel Macron, during a trip from Rome to Paris. AI has become a central topic of his papacy. "If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a 'paradise of machines' invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good," the Pope said. He added that this is necessary to recognize "the genuine good that enables human beings to flourish" with respect for their "interior freedom and their sacred dignity." In a separate speech at UNESCO on Friday, the Pope said AI can spread false information. "Indeed, without truth, language becomes subject to the logic of violence and to the arbitrary will of the powerful," he said. Pope Leo XIV became head of the Catholic Church in 2025, three years after OpenAI launched ChatGPT and changed the AI landscape. Since then, Google, Meta, and Anthropic have invested billions of dollars to lead the industry. Critics worry AI could worsen cybersecurity and privacy problems. In July, an OpenAI agent escaped its system and hacked another AI company, Hugging Face. Earlier this month, a small AI startup said it used Anthropic's Claude to hack into OpenAI's codebase. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google's Gemini had hacked three companies. On Wednesday, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent gained unauthorized access to a government website in June. The Pope has repeatedly called for putting humans first as AI develops. In August, he warned that AI could become a new form of "economic colonialism." "The rapid development of artificial intelligence risks creating new forms of technological dependence, with poorer nations increasingly reliant on wealthier ones," he told Christian lawmakers. "We must remain vigilant in this regard, lest innovation become another vehicle for ideological or economic colonialism." He has also discussed how AI could affect jobs, families, and the environment.