Pope Leo XIV is already addressing artificial intelligence. Here’s what he actually said

Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, has pledged to engage with the contemporary world in all its facets—including the challenge of artificial intelligence. (Photo: Vatican Media)

In the wake of the election of the first American Pope, many have been curious about what Robert Francis Prevost, now Leo XIV, might be thinking about artificial intelligence.

It’s only been a week since his debut on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, but the new pontiff has made one thing clear. We may not know exactly what he thinks of AI, but we do know he is thinking about it—deeply.

In one of his first formal audiences, Pope Leo met with the College of Cardinals on May 10, two days after his election. He explained why “Leo” would be his chosen name:

“I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.

In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.”

AI isn’t necessarily at the top of the Pope’s agenda, of course. It’s helpful to read his entire address to the Cardinals to get a sense of the context in which these remarks appear.

engaging with the contemporary world

His May 10 remarks signaled that, at the very least, AI is not a subject with which he is unfamiliar. In those same remarks, Pope Leo pledged to engage in “courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities.”

We have Pope Leo’s full remarks linked below:

message to journalists

Two days after his address to the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo met with journalists who had come to Rome from around the world to cover the Conclave. Here again the Pope brought up the challenge of artificial intelligence, this time in the context of the work of professional communicators:

“Today, one of the most important challenges is to promote communication that can bring us out of the “Tower of Babel” in which we sometimes find ourselves, out of the confusion of loveless languages that are often ideological or partisan. Therefore, your service, with the words you use and the style you adopt, is crucial.

As you know, communication is not only the transmission of information, but it is also the creation of a culture, of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion. In looking at how technology is developing, this mission becomes ever more necessary.

I am thinking in particular of artificial intelligence, with its immense potential, which nevertheless requires responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity. This responsibility concerns everyone in proportion to his or her age and role in society.”

The full transcript of Pope Leo’s May 12 remarks is available below:

More ai news:

In recent days, media outlets around the world have reported on the new Pope’s choice of name and how it relates to his circumstance in 2025.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pope-leo-artificial-intelligence-1.7532028

to the New York Times have

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/05/10/250510a.html