Pope Leo XIV warns AI threats in his first formal papal statement
Pope Leo XIV has issued a rare, early warning about AI, calling it a clear and present danger to human dignity. The pope’s concern follows a viral deepfake video where an AI-generated version of him endorsed an African military junta leader—words he never said.
The issue started when this fabricated clip went viral online, mimicking the pope’s voice and image to spread false political endorsements. Similar AI-generated videos are popping up, and they’re getting harder to detect. Soon, distinguishing real from fake could become nearly impossible, even for messages from the Vatican itself. 
The pope’s call echoes earlier warnings about the risks of unchecked technology turning into “technological totalitarianism.” He urges a return to traditional, trusted sources—papal letters and writings by thinkers like St. Augustine—to counter the flood of digital deception.
Robert Brennan reported from Los Angeles, highlighting the sharp concern for AI’s impact on trust and human values.
"One of Pope Leo XIV’s first formal papal statements was to warn us about the threats AI poses."
"It literally put words in his mouth about how wonderful some military junta leader in Africa was, and it had the pope giving the ‘leader’ a resounding endorsement."
"When it comes to the Supreme Pontiff of the Church, not being able to trust what we hear and what he teaches is cause for sleepless nights."
"Instead of looking into the future for the solution, we might be better off looking to the past."
"Still, just as we heeded Pope Benedict’s warning about the ‘dictatorship of relativism,’ we should now embrace the equally serious admonition of Leo, lest we become slaves to ‘technological totalitarianism.’"
