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Pope Leo XIV warned on Friday about the potential effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on young people’s cognitive development, emphasising that it could impair their understanding of reality.
Since becoming the head of the Catholic Church on May 8, the pope—who has a background in mathematics—has consistently raised concerns regarding the dangers linked to AI, but this marks the first instance in which he has addressed the topic solely.
“All of us are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,” the American pope warned in a written message to participants at the second Rome Conference on AI.
While he acknowledged AI’s benefits in “advancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery,” the pope remarked that it “poses alarming questions regarding its potential impacts” on humanity’s “unique capacity to comprehend and interpret reality.”
Recently, Pope Leo has faced the backlash of deep fake videos and audio recordings circulated on social media platforms.
This week, a study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism revealed that many young individuals are turning to chatbots for news and updates.
In recent years, the Catholic Church, under Leo’s predecessor, Francis, has sought to shape ethical discussions concerning the use of emerging technologies.
In 2020, the Vatican launched the Rome Call for AI Ethics, which was endorsed by Microsoft, IBM, the United Nations, Italy, and several universities. The call called for transparency and a commitment to privacy.
