Pope Leo XIV has warned against the risk of losing human values as artificial intelligence and automation increasingly shape everyday life, calling for greater ethical education and moral discernment.
Pope Leo XIV issued the warning during his first papal trip to France, where he addressed growing concerns about the rapid development of artificial intelligence and its influence on society.
Speaking at the French presidential palace, the Pope cautioned that progress must not come at the expense of human dignity, urging people to develop the ability to distinguish between what can be done and what is morally right.
“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,” he said.
His remarks come as governments, businesses and international organisations grapple with the implications of increasingly advanced artificial intelligence. Its use is expanding across workplaces, education, healthcare, communication and other aspects of daily life.
While these developments have brought new opportunities and greater efficiency, they have also raised questions about employment, privacy, misinformation, human decision-making and the limits of automation.
For Leo XIV, however, the challenge is not simply about controlling new tools. He stressed the importance of equipping people with the judgment needed to use them responsibly, particularly as systems become capable of performing tasks once carried out exclusively by humans.
The Pope’s message also centres on the importance of preserving human relationships and qualities such as compassion, responsibility and moral judgment in an increasingly automated world.
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, Pope Leo is urging societies to ensure that progress remains grounded in human dignity and serves people rather than diminishing their capacity to make meaningful moral choices.
