Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of active human involvement in the world, rather than passive consumption of technology-generated content. The Pope raised concerns about AI development, questioning how it can serve the common good instead of benefiting a select few. The Pope addressed participants at a conference in Rome organized by the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation and the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities. The conference, titled "Artificial Intelligence and Care of Our Common Home," included the presentation of a book analyzing AI's impact and proposing solutions.
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Pope Leo XIV addressed participants at a conference in Rome on December 5, 2025, titled "Artificial Intelligence and Care of Our Common Home." The event, organized by the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation and the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities, featured the presentation of a book compiling expert research on AI's impacts in business, finance, education, and communication.1
The pope praised the research as a valuable contribution, stressing the need for coordinated action across politics, institutions, businesses, education, and religious communities to address AI challenges.1
Pope Leo XIV warned against becoming passive consumers of AI-generated content, urging humans to act as co-workers in creation.1 He highlighted that human dignity stems from the ability to reflect, choose freely, love unconditionally, and form authentic relationships.1
The pope questioned how AI development can serve the common good without concentrating wealth and power among a few, prioritizing widespread participation over partisan or profit-driven interests.1
The pope called for teaching young people to use AI tools with their own intelligence, fostering openness to truth, spiritual life, and expanded horizons for decision-making.1 He emphasized supporting their desire to mature differently and better in a time requiring profound societal shifts.1
Special attention was given to reflecting on technology's potential impact on children's freedom, inner life, intellectual, and neurological development, ensuring it aids rather than hinders their path to responsibility.1 Society's well-being depends on enabling youth to develop talents and respond generously to others' needs.1
Accessing vast data via AI should not be mistaken for deriving true meaning and value, which demands confronting existential mysteries often sidelined by cultural and economic models.1 The pope posed a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human in this historical moment?1
While AI opens new creative horizons, it raises concerns about diminishing humanity's openness to truth, beauty, wonder, and contemplation.1
Recognizing and safeguarding human characteristics essential for balanced growth is crucial for managing AI's consequences.1 This commitment must precede any profit motives, ensuring inclusive participation where even the humblest voices are heard.1
The pope advocated for an adequate framework that places human development above all, promoting ambitious goals through respectful, collective involvement.1
Investigate Catholic teachings on human stewardship versus AI autonomy
Catholic teaching consistently affirms that humanity, created in the image and likeness of God, holds a unique vocation as stewards of creation. This stewardship is not dominion in the sense of exploitation but a responsible care that reflects God's creative love, ensuring the flourishing of all creatures and the common good. As articulated in foundational documents like Gaudium et Spes, technology and innovation must serve the human person, fostering justice, fraternity, and a more humane social order . In the context of artificial intelligence (AI), this principle extends to viewing AI not as an autonomous entity but as a human invention that must remain subordinate to moral judgment and ethical oversight. The Church warns against any form of technological autonomy that could undermine human dignity, echoing broader teachings on care for creation found in Laudato Si', where humans are called to protect the earth as a shared gift, avoiding anthropocentric excesses that treat nature—or by extension, technology—as mere resources for unchecked progress .
At its core, human stewardship derives from Genesis, where God entrusts humanity with the care of creation, granting intelligence and freedom to name and cultivate the earth responsibly. This role is elevated in Christian theology as participation in divine governance, where humans act as "shepherds" of being, guiding creation toward its fulfillment in God. Pope Benedict XVI in Caritas in Veritate emphasizes that this stewardship applies globally to resources, demanding joint decisions that preserve the environment for future generations and recognize the moral costs of misuse. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reinforces this in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, linking stewardship to solidarity with the poor, who suffer most from environmental degradation, and calling for an "ecological conversion" that integrates faith with responsible action .
Extending this to AI, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's Antiqua et Nova describes human intelligence as oriented toward the true and the good, involving openness to ultimate questions that AI cannot replicate . AI, as a product of human creativity, participates in this divine gift but must be directed by it, ensuring that technological development aligns with the vocation to the good. Reflections on Laudato Si' critique modern anthropocentrism that prioritizes technical efficiency over reality, warning that treating creation (or tools like AI) as "raw material" compromises intrinsic dignity . Thus, stewardship demands that AI enhance human capacities without supplanting moral agency.
Catholic sources uniformly present AI as a supplement to human endeavor, not a replacement. The USCCB's AI Principles and Priorities Letter states that AI should "supplement what human beings do, not replace them or their moral judgments," explicitly rejecting transhumanism or equating AI with human life . Pope Leo XIV, in his message to the Builders AI Forum, underscores that AI springs from God's entrusted creative capacity to humanity, carrying ethical weight in every design choice. This aligns with the Rome Call for AI Ethics, which insists AI systems must serve and protect human beings and the environment, empowering individuals without exploitation, especially of the vulnerable.
In practical domains, this subordination is evident. Pope Francis at the G7 emphasized ensuring "proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programs," as human dignity depends on it . Similarly, Pope Leo XIV's message to the AI for Good Summit calls for ethical management centered on the human person, beyond mere utility, fostering fraternity and integral development. In medicine, his address to the Pontifical Academy for Life Congress highlights AI's potential benefits but stresses that it must enhance, not detract from, irreplaceable human relationships; healthcare professionals remain "guardians and servants of human life". Antiqua et Nova echoes this, requiring AI to be "directed by human intelligence" to respect dignity and the common good.
The Church identifies AI autonomy as a profound risk when it erodes human oversight, potentially leading to dehumanization. Pope Francis warned of AI's "fearsome" side if unchecked, limiting worldviews to quantifiable categories and imposing uniform models that exclude diverse truths. This autonomy could exacerbate inequalities, as noted in the USCCB's joint letter, where AI might perpetuate marginalization, widen digital divides, or reinforce biases in decision-making for employment, healthcare, or immigration . In warfare, both popes decry "lethal autonomous weapons," insisting no machine should take human life, and calling for bans to maintain human control .
A "growing crisis of truth" arises from AI-generated falsehoods like deepfakes, undermining dignity and democratic processes; human accountability is essential . Pope Leo XIV, in his message to the Conference on AI Ethics, evaluates AI by its impact on human openness to truth and beauty, cautioning against effects on youth's moral and spiritual growth. Autonomy risks an "eclipse of the sense of what is human," as Pope Francis noted, challenging recognition of shared dignity . Analogous to environmental stewardship, unchecked AI could deplete human relational and ethical resources, much like exploiting nature burdens future generations .
To counter AI autonomy, Catholic teaching advocates robust ethical and regulatory frameworks prioritizing human dignity. The Rome Call demands transparency, non-discrimination, and sustainability, ensuring AI includes all without bias. Pope Leo XIV urges coordinated global governance based on inherent dignity and freedoms . The USCCB calls for policies ensuring worker protections, family support, and human oversight in AI decisions, while protecting intellectual property and countering isolation.
In education and formation, Antiqua et Nova promotes intergenerational apprenticeship to integrate truth into life, preventing AI from hindering maturity . Pope Francis's message to the Paris Summit envisions AI platforms that fight poverty and preserve cultures, reflecting human diversity. Ultimately, as stewards, humans must discern AI's alignment with justice, solidarity, and reverence for life, embodying the dialogue between faith and reason .
In summary, Catholic teachings on human stewardship versus AI autonomy affirm humanity's irreplaceable role as moral agents, directing technology toward the common good while vigilantly guarding against autonomy that threatens dignity. By rooting AI in ethical discernment and human control, the Church envisions it as a participant in divine creativity, fostering a world of fraternity and care for creation.