Pope Leo XIV Cautions Against Dangers of AI Algorithms

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday warned about the growing risks posed by generative artificial intelligence, saying it could undermine human identity and relationships, manipulate public opinion and intensify social polarisation.

In a message to mark the World Day of Social Communications, the pontiff said AI systems often mirror the worldview of their creators and can influence how people think by reproducing biases contained in the data they analyse.

“The challenge… is a matter of protecting human identity and authentic relationships,” the pope said.

His warning comes as generative AI rapidly advances in creating, altering and producing images, music and text that can be difficult to distinguish from human-made content.

In 2023, Pope Leo XIV’s predecessor, Pope Francis, became the subject of a viral AI-generated image that showed him wearing a white puffer jacket. Since then, generative AI has increasingly been used by prominent figures, including US President Donald Trump, who has posted or shared computer-generated images on his social media platforms.

Pope Leo XIV cautioned that a small number of companies now wield enormous influence over AI development, adding that such technologies heighten “the difficulty of distinguishing between reality and simulation.”

Since his election last May as the first pope from the United States, Leo XIV has repeatedly raised concerns about the expanding reach of artificial intelligence. He has criticised systems that treat statistical probability as dependable knowledge, arguing that they offer only approximations rather than truth.

The pope said the task ahead is to establish effective governance frameworks and to ensure young people are educated about how algorithms shape perceptions of reality.

Last month, he also condemned the growing use of AI in military contexts, warning against allowing machines to make life-and-death decisions.

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