Pope Leo XIV declares that AI is a threat to human dignity and workers’ rights

Pope Leo XIV is taking a bold stance on artificial intelligence, calling it “a challenge to human dignity, justice and work” in his first major speech since being elected leader of the Catholic Church.

The new pontiff is placing AI at the center of the Church’s moral agenda, warning that we are entering a new industrial revolution with the same threats to workers and human rights that were seen more than a century ago.

“Nowadays… advances in the field of artificial intelligence pose new challenges.” Leo saidaddressing the College of Cardinals on Saturday in the New Synod Hall.

he echoed Pope Leo XIIIwho in 1891 issued Rerum Novaruma foundational text of Catholic social teaching written in response to the human cost of the Industrial Revolution.

Pope Leo XIV meets with the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall of the Vatican (AP)

Background

Pope Leo XIV’s comments come after a rise in global anxiety about the role of AI in the economy, war and media integrity. The speech arrives a few days later:

Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at age 88, had increasingly spoken out about the ethical threats of AI, especially in military use, where he warned against “get away from the immense tragedy of war.”

By invoking AI so early in his papacy, Pope Leo XIV is signaling a continuation and intensification of the Vatican’s effort to shape the global discourse on ethics in technology.

In a nutshell

The Catholic Church has just placed artificial intelligence on its moral radar. Pope Leo XIV is sending a message: spiritual leadership must keep pace with technological power.