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Discussions around how to ethically use artificial intelligence (AI) must account for the spiritual, material, and intellectual well-being of human persons, Pope Leo XIV emphasized in a June 17 address.
“AI, especially Generative AI, has opened new horizons on many different levels, including enhancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery, but also raises troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity’s openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality,” Pope Leo told those attending the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence this week.
“Acknowledging and respecting what is uniquely characteristic of the human person is essential to the discussion of any adequate ethical framework for the governance of AI,” he added.
Those engaged in AI discussions must account for the well-being of human persons, safeguard human dignity, and respect “the cultural and spiritual riches and diversity of the world’s peoples,” Pope Leo said. “Ultimately, the benefits or risks of AI must be evaluated precisely according to this superior ethical criterion.”
There is also a particular responsibility in relation to AI and young people, Pope Leo emphasized. There are concerns about AI’s potential effects on their intellectual and neurological development.
“Our youth must be helped, and not hindered, in their journey towards maturity and true responsibility,” he said. “They are our hope for the future, and society’s well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities, and to respond to the demands of the times and the needs of others with a free and generous spirit.”
No generation in history has had more immediate access to huge amounts of information, as AI is now offering, the Pope noted.
“But again, access to data — however extensive — must not be confused with intelligence, which necessarily ‘involves the person’s openness to the ultimate questions of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good,’” he said, quoting the January 2025 doctrinal note Antiqua et Nova.
“In the end,” Pope Leo said, “authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data.”
In closing, the Pontiff thanked those at the conference for their work on this important issue, saying he hopes they “will consider AI within the context of the necessary intergenerational apprenticeship that will enable young people to integrate truth into their moral and spiritual life, thus informing their mature decisions and opening the path towards a world of greater solidarity and unity.”
