Pope Leo XIV warns against the misuse of AI
A pope cannot remain silent when power politics is blasphemously exaggerated and the “annihilation of a civilisation” is threatened.
Christianity must not be misused to whitewash boundless narcissism and immeasurable self-aggrandisement. US President Trump had cast himself as the new Jesus. Power versus morality!
At Pentecost 2026, Pope Leo XIV also warned of the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Tagesschau summarised the AI warnings from the Vatican as follows:
“Small, highly influential groups can steer information and consumption, shape democratic processes and influence economic dynamics,” writes the Pope. It is therefore “essential that the use of AI – particularly when it comes to public goods and fundamental rights – is accompanied by clear criteria and effective controls”.
The ownership of user data must also be regulated. The Pope emphasises on several occasions that AI must be guided by human values and morality. However, this is of no use “if this morality is determined by a select few”.
The Pontiff is particularly critical of the impact of Artificial Intelligence on conflicts. With AI-supported autonomous weapon systems, war has once again been made “more feasible” in the modern age. However, decisions regarding life and death must under no circumstances be left to machines. The letter states verbatim: “It is therefore not permissible to entrust lethal or, in any case, irreversible decisions to artificial systems.”
In the encyclical, Leo XIV also addresses the question of what AI means for the world of work. His text speaks of “new forms of slavery” – for example, in AI data centres or in the manufacture of microchips and technical devices such as computers or smartphones, in which AI is used. In some regions of the world, children and young people are also working under dangerous conditions. “Bodies are injured, mutilated and exploited so that the flow of data does not come to a standstill,” says the Pope. “This reality poses a major challenge to the moral conscience of our time.”
The Pope emphasises several times in the text that, despite all technological advances, the human dimension must come first. “No computer system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself, or a conscience that recognises the good.”
In the encyclical, Leo XIV also apologises for the Catholic Church’s role during the era of slavery. He acknowledged that his Church had only decisively condemned the slave trade, which had lasted for many centuries, in the 19th century. “This is a wound in the Christian memory,” the document states. “For this, I sincerely ask for forgiveness on behalf of the Church.”
A new Pope’s first encyclical is regarded as a kind of policy statement. With this warning about AI, Leo XIV is very much in tune with the times: technological progress, yes – but please not unchecked.
What Pope Leo presented at Pentecost with his first encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas or Magnificent Humanity” is a manifesto of Christian pacifism. AI must be “disarmed” just like nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Artificial intelligence must serve all people and not just a few super-rich high-tech billionaires. In this respect, the Pope remains the true antagonist of his compatriot, President Donald Trump.
- “Pope Leo presents ‘Magnifica humanitas’ calling for disarmament of AI” | At the presentation of his first social encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV appealed for artificial intelligence to be placed firmly at the service of humanity, warning against technologies that foster domination, exclusion and war.
