The new pontiff calls for the regulation of AI at a global level.
The Church relies on millennia of social teachings.
The Vatican demands an international treaty on the ethics of AI
Pope Leo XIV called artificial intelligence a key threat to humanity and declares it a priority theme of his pontificate. He questions the moral neutrality of technologies and intends to confront an industry that has been seeking allies in the Vatican for years.
According to the pontiff, the challenges of the 21st century are comparable to the social upheavals of the Gilded Age of the 19th century. Back then, Pope Leo XIII defended workers from the arbitrariness of factory owners — now his successor intends to advocate for 'the defense of human dignity in the age of algorithms.'
During his address to the College of Cardinals, the pope emphasized that he would rely on the two-thousand-year tradition of Catholic social thought. He urged a response to the 'next industrial revolution,' in which AI threatens justice and labor.
To establish a dialogue with the Church in Rome, leaders from Microsoft, Google, Cisco, and other tech giants have arrived. They allegedly seek to convince the Holy See of the positive potential of artificial intelligence.
Nevertheless, the Vatican insists on a mandatory international agreement that should establish ethical boundaries for the development of AI. The Church fears that in the pursuit of efficiency, humanity will lose its fundamental values.
Many representatives of the AI industry perceive the Vatican's initiative as a threat to innovation. However, Pope Leo XIV is reportedly confident that the Church must intervene in the global technological course right now.
