By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post.
Pope Leo XIV has joined a growing list of influential voices warning against the unchecked use of artificial intelligence, as studies indicate rising global concern about the risks it poses to humanity, including privacy, jobs and security.
“Digital technology, when not properly managed, risks radically altering some of thefundamental pillars of human civilization, which we sometimes take for granted,” the pope wrote Saturday in a message shared at the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales in Vatican City.
“By simulating human voices and faces, wisdom and knowledge, conscience and responsibility, empathy and friendship, systems known as artificial intelligence not only interfere with information ecosystems but also invade the deepest level of communication: the relationship between people.”
The United States-born pontiff’s warning comes ahead of the Catholic Church’s 60th World Day of Social Communications, which will be celebrated on May 17 this year.
While he supports embracing the benefits of AI and digital technology, Leo urged global cooperation to minimize the risks to humanity, which he said can be both subtle and intentionally seductive.
“Although AI can provide support and assistance in managing communicative tasks, bypassing the effort of thinking for ourselves and settling for artificial statistical compilation, in the long run it risks eroding our cognitive, emotional, and communicative abilities,” he noted.
“In recent years, artificial intelligence systems have increasingly taken control of the production of texts, music, and videos. Much of the human creative industry is thus at risk of being dismantled and replaced by the label ‘Powered by AI,’ turning people into mere passive consumers of unthought-out, anonymous products, devoid of authorship and love,” he continued. “Meanwhile, masterpieces of human genius in the fields of music, art, and literature are reduced to a mere training ground for machines.”
It has become increasingly difficult for people to distinguish between humans and virtual “bots” on social media, the pope stated, saying bots are being used to manipulate their decisions.