- The pontiff calls for global control over the development of AI.
- The Catholic Church relies on millennia-old social principles.
- The Vatican advocates for an international treaty on the ethics of artificial intelligence.
The Vatican’s Position on Artificial Intelligence
Pope Leo XIV has declared artificial intelligence one of the most serious challenges facing humanity, identifying this issue as a priority for his pontificate. He questioned claims of the moral neutrality of modern technologies and called for a more active involvement of the Church in global technological processes. The pontiff emphasized that artificial intelligence can influence key social institutions, and the Church cannot remain indifferent to this issue.
This is reported by Finway
The Pope compared the challenges of the 21st century to the social upheavals of the Gilded Age of the 19th century, when his predecessor Leo XIII defended workers’ rights. Today, according to the pontiff, the Church must stand up for human dignity in the face of the dominance of algorithms and automation.
Demands for Ethics and International Initiatives
In his address to the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that the Church’s position is based on two thousand years of Catholic social doctrine. He urged the religious community and society to respond to the new “industrial revolution,” in which artificial intelligence may threaten justice and labor rights.
Recently, representatives from leading technology companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Cisco have visited the Vatican, attempting to persuade the Holy See of the positive prospects of AI development. However, the Church insists on creating an international agreement that would establish clear ethical boundaries for the implementation of intelligent systems.
“The Vatican insists on a binding international agreement that will set ethical boundaries for the development of AI. The Church fears that in the pursuit of efficiency, humanity will lose its fundamental values.”
Many representatives from the artificial intelligence sector view the Vatican’s initiative as an obstacle to technological development. However, Pope Leo XIV is convinced that the Church must now influence the formation of ethical standards in the field of AI to preserve humanity’s foundational values in an era of rapid technological progress.