Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence, which he termed a "paradise of machines", and other emerging technologies could undermine humanity by posing fundamental questions about what it means to be human. The pontiff's remarks came during his four-day apostolic journey to France, the first official papal visit to the country in 18 years.
On Friday, thousands gathered to welcome the pope in Paris. He delivered a speech at the Élysée Palace before President Emmanuel Macron and French authorities, and later addressed diplomats and United Nations employees at the headquarters of UNESCO. In his addresses, he raised existential questions about technological advancement and human rights.
"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," Pope Leo said alongside Macron. He further cautioned that scientific progress should not turn "into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one's own death." This statement came just months after France passed a landmark bill legalising assisted dying.
The pope reaffirmed the Vatican's opposition to nuclear weapons, stating that the nuclear deterrence doctrine was "mistaken" as it was heightening a new arms race. Since the very beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo has identified AI as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, dedicating his first encyclical to the topic, calling for significant regulation and urging developers to work for the common good.
"The paradox has become increasingly evident: while 'intelligence' is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognise the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded," he said. Earlier, the pope told reporters he was pleased that his message was being heard by AI developers and hoped the dialogue between tech companies and the Vatican would continue.
"And I think from their perspective, many of them, they're very much open to looking for ways of making sure that AI does not displace or ultimately destroy humanity, but rather is a tool for human beings," he said. While secularism is enshrined in France's constitution, the pontiff stressed that "authentic secularity" should not exclude religion "from the public sphere or from education".
On Friday, thousands of worshippers cheered Leo as he stepped up to pray at a stadium near Paris, where he called those gathered the "saints of France". Earlier in the afternoon, the pope crossed central Paris in his popemobile. The Vatican estimated that about 300,000 people had come out to see the pontiff on Friday.
Source: www.aljazeera.com