WSJ: Pope Leo XIV declared AI the main threat to humanity

Pope Leo XIV called artificial intelligence a key threat to humanity and declares it a priority theme of his pontificate, writes the WSJ. He questions the moral neutrality of technologies and intends to oppose the industry that has sought allies in the Vatican for years.

According to the pontiff, the challenges of the 21st century are comparable to the social upheavals of the Gilded Age of the 19th century. Back then, Pope Leo XIII defended workers from the arbitrariness of manufacturers — now his successor intends to advocate for “the protection of human dignity in the age of algorithms.”

During his address to the College of Cardinals, the pope emphasized that he would rely on the two-thousand-year tradition of Catholic social thought. He called for a response to the “next industrial revolution,” in which AI threatens justice and labor.

To establish a dialogue with the Church, leaders from Microsoft, Google, Cisco, and other technology giants arrived in Rome, noted the authors of the material. They allegedly seek to convince the Holy See of the positive potential of artificial intelligence.

Nevertheless, the Vatican insists on a mandatory international agreement that should establish the ethical boundaries for the development of AI. The Church fears that in the pursuit of efficiency, humanity will lose its basic values.

Many representatives of the AI industry perceive the Vatican’s initiative as a threat to innovation, media reports emphasized. However, Pope Leo XIV is supposedly convinced that the Church must intervene in the global technological course right now.

Let us remind you that we wrote that OpenAI and Retro Biosciences launched a project to extend human life.