Pope Leo XIV on Friday called for the Church to use artificial intelligence ethically. He wants the institution to harness technology in order to draw people toward Christ while rebuilding public confidence in digital tools.
The pontiff made his remarks at the Vatican during an international conference on AI. The gathering, titled "Preserving human faces and voices," brought together theologians, educators, and technology experts.
Two Church bodies organized the one-day event. They were the Dicastery for Communication and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
According to Pope Leo, the Church has always used available tools to spread Christ's message. Vatican II's teachings on mass media support this approach, he noted.
"Our desire for universal salvation must shape how we use media, digital tools, and AI," the Pope told participants. He emphasized that technology must genuinely serve humanity, not harm it.
Uncontrolled tech development destroys human dignity. It creates systems that damage relationships and exploit people, in his view.
The Church must help society rediscover what it means to be human. God's design for humanity should guide our technological choices, he argued.
Young people especially need guidance on technology use. The Pope urged church leaders and schools to teach media literacy to students.
They should help teenagers think critically about digital tools. Church communities must also model balanced, disciplined technology habits for the youth.
"Young people want to know life's purpose," Pope Leo said. "We must introduce them to the living Christ and show them how technology fits into authentic Christian living."
The intersection of AI and human response matters enormously for the Church's mission. It affects how people develop spiritually and reach full maturity.
Pope Leo expressed hope that the conference discussions would rebuild trust in technology. He sees AI as an expression of human creativity working alongside God's design.
