Pope Leo XIV has rejected a proposal to create an AI version of himself. He revealed the news in an interview for a biography, stating that he was asked for permission to create an “artificial pope” to allow anyone to have a personal audience. The pontiff, however, was not on board with the idea, saying, “I’m not going to authorize that.”
The core of the issue for Pope Leo XIV seems to be the idea of having an avatar represent him. As he put it in the interview, “If there’s anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the pope is high on the list.” I honestly can’t disagree with him there. The whole point of the papacy is a human connection, and an AI just can’t replicate that. An “artificial pope” might be able to give answers to questions, but it would be a cold, calculated response, not one rooted in human empathy and understanding.
