Pope Leo XIV is calling out AI risks as a major challenge for humanity. The new American pope, named after Leo XIII who championed workers during the Gilded Age, is setting a tough tone on technology’s future impact.
The issue started last month when Pope Leo XIV addressed a hall of cardinals. He vowed to use 2,000 years of Church social teaching to tackle what he calls “another industrial revolution” and AI’s threats to “human dignity, justice, and labor,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
Tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Cisco have repeatedly flown to the Vatican to pitch AI’s benefits. But the Vatican pushes back hard, calling for a binding international treaty on AI. Tech leaders warn such regulation could stall innovation. 
The pope’s stance is shaping Rome’s influence on AI policy debates worldwide.
Pope Leo XIV stated:
“…respond to another industrial revolution and to innovations in the field of artificial intelligence that pose challenges to human dignity, justice, and labor.”
