Pope Leo XIV issued one of his strongest warnings yet about artificial intelligence on Friday, cautioning that unchecked technological development could leave humanity living in a "paradise of machines" as he opened a four-day visit to France.
Speaking at the Élysée Palace in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Leo placed AI and the ethical questions surrounding rapidly advancing technology at the center of his first papal visit to France.
The 4-day trip, which runs through September 28, is the first by a pope to the country in nearly two decades. "If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a 'paradise of machines' invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment," Leo said.
The first U.S.-born pope has repeatedly called for stronger ethical safeguards around AI, warning about misinformation, conflict and technologies that could undermine human dignity. Just days before arriving in France, Leo called for AI systems designed to promote peace rather than deepen divisions.
His warning in Paris, however, was that technological progress should not be allowed to determine humanity's future without sufficient consideration of who controls it, what values guide it and how it affects people's lives.
Leo's concerns extended beyond AI. At the Élysée, he criticized what he described as efforts to turn science and technology into profit-driven enterprises involving genetic manipulation, surrogacy, organ trafficking and assisted dying.
"I am concerned... by those trends in society that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one's own death," he said.
Those comments come at a particularly sensitive moment in France, where Catholic leaders and the government have clashed over social policy. French lawmakers recently advanced legislation allowing assisted dying for adults suffering from incurable illnesses, while the country in 2024 became the first in the world to explicitly enshrine abortion rights in its constitution.
Leo arrived at Paris Orly airport Friday morning, where Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron welcomed him. Before landing, the pope told reporters traveling with him that his visit would carry a "message of peace," amid wars and geopolitical tensions around the world.
Leo's Friday schedule includes a visit to UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where he is due to address the United Nations agency devoted to education, science and culture. He will later celebrate vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral, marking the first papal visit to the landmark since the devastating 2019 fire, before attending an evening prayer vigil with young people at the Stade de France.
The pope's France trip also carries the difficult task of confronting the Catholic Church's clergy sexual abuse crisis. A landmark 2021 investigation estimated that roughly 330,000 children in France were abused by Catholic clergy and other Church-affiliated personnel over seven decades. French bishops have since established compensation and safeguarding programs, but survivors continue to demand greater accountability.
Leo is scheduled to travel from Paris to Lourdes on Saturday and spend Sunday at the Catholic pilgrimage site before traveling Monday to Metz, near the German border. His official itinerary includes meetings with French bishops, religious communities and interfaith representatives, as well as a major address focused on Europe's roots, peace and unity.
