In a message delivered Friday to participants at a Vatican-hosted AI summit, the pope emphasized that AI systems must prioritize the holistic well-being of individuals — not just materially, but also intellectually and spiritually.
“No generation has ever had such quick access to the amount of information now available through AI,” he noted. “But access to data — however extensive — must not be confused with intelligence.”
The pope also raised alarms about AI’s potential effects on children’s development, cautioning that its unregulated use could negatively impact their intellectual and neurological growth. “Society’s well-being depends on children having the opportunity to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities,” he stressed.
His remarks were part of the second annual Rome Conference on AI — a two-day gathering of global tech executives, academics, and Vatican leaders to reflect on the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence. Attendees included representatives from major AI firms such as Google, OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, IBM, and Palantir, alongside scholars from institutions like Harvard and Stanford.
The conference took place as the world grapples with the dual nature of AI — its vast potential to revolutionize productivity, healthcare, and research, and its darker capacity to disrupt jobs, amplify misinformation, intensify climate challenges, and fuel surveillance and military tools. While some in the tech sector advocate for responsible AI governance, others have resisted regulatory frameworks, citing fears of stifled innovation and diminished global competitiveness.
Pope Leo’s message stands as a moral appeal for the technology to remain firmly rooted in service to humanity.
CNN
