For an organisation that is so often accused of being behind the times, the Catholic Church is proving itself to be remarkably relevant. Pope Leo XIV—the first American to ever sit on the Throne of St. Peter—has made it clear that artificial intelligence will be one of his pontificate’s defining issues. He sees AI not just as a technological upheaval but also as a moral one. Unlike the tech oligarchs giddy about their new digital master, Leo is standing firm against the tyranny of algorithms.
In some of his first public speeches as pope, he emphasised the Church’s role in addressing the ethical challenges posed by AI. In his first official address to the College of Cardinals last month, he warned of the risks it poses to “human dignity, justice, and labour.” Leo—who holds a degree in mathematics—rightly praised the tech’s potential to make all our lives better but was clear that, if left unchecked, it could cause far more harm than good.
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