Pope Leo XIV warned in a pastoral document about the potential perils of AI and that technology itself could eventually pose a threat to humanity.
The pope's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity"), talked about the need to protect human beings in the time of artificial intelligence.
"So-called artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships, and do not know from within what love, work, friendship, or responsibility mean," Leo wrote, according to a recount by the National Catholic Reporter.
The 200-page document, meant as an authoritative statement from the Pope, states that AI and similar technologies "merely imitate certain functions of human intelligence."
The Pope went on to note that there is a difference between rejecting technology outright and taking steps to ensure technology does not come to dominate humanity.
"Technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it," Leo wrote in a passage of the document, adding that those behind the development of AI "bear a particular ethical and spiritual responsibility, for every design choice reflects a vision of humanity."
President Donald Trump has repeatedly downplayed AI fears, likening it to issues he considers to be political hoaxes meant to score points by his opponents.
"Over the years, there have been many Hoaxes, all generated by the Radical Left Dumocrats, for purposes of destroying our Country. RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, Global Warming, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, Men in Women's Sports, Transgender for Everyone, and now, the decimation, or destruction, of AI," Trump wrote.
In August, Trump disparaged opponents of data centers, which are necessary infrastructure in the development of AI, saying, "The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor."
Despite Trump's past comments, some of the concerns raised about AI have come from the people developing the technology, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.
"[L]ike many technologies before it, AI brings risks, and because it is such a powerful technology, these risks are serious," Amodei wrote recently. "They include the risk of losing control of AI systems, misuse of AI for cyberattacks and bioterrorism, and serious economic disruption. A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute."
Pope Leo XIV told Axios that although he was not in "panic mode" over AI, the concerns should not be dismissed as "fake news."
"I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously. I don't think that is fake news, as some have said, to try and cause whether financial or some other kind of benefit," the Pope said.
