Pope Leo: Catholic legislators should wisely guide AI innovation, not hinder it

Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholic legislators gathered for an Aug. 21 to develop policies that put artificial intelligence (AI) technological development at the service of the common good, ensuring in particular that family life is safeguarded. 

Speaking to members of the International Catholic Legislators Network who were gathered for the annual meeting, this year themed on human dignity and AI, Pope Leo acknowledged that every technological achievement raises the moral question, “not merely what can we do, but what ought we to do?” 

As he wrote in his inaugural encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, there may be a temptation “to construct a new Tower of Babel, where power, efficiency and control obscure the face of the human person.” On the other hand, people can choose to build a civilization that puts technology at the service of people’s holistic development. 

Pope Leo said that determining whether technology is helping people becoming more responsible and fraternal can be discerned using criteria from the principles of the Church’s Social Doctrine, which include “the inviolable dignity of every person, the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity and solidarity.” 

The legislators’ vocation sets them at the crux of this challenge, he said, continuing, “Responsible for providing policies for the administration of technology for the common good, your task is not to hinder innovation but to guide it wisely.” 

“Sound legislation should encourage scientific and technological creativity while safeguarding fundamental human rights and freedoms,” he said. “It should protect users from exploitation, preserve personal privacy, ensure transparency in the use of emerging technologies, and guarantee that they strengthen democratic institutions.”

He recalled the encyclical’s assertion that it is crucial to have strong legal frameworks, independent oversight, a responsible political system that assumes responsibility, and informed users. He noted that oversight can be on several levels: local, national, and international, allowing for open discussion of the ethical frameworks involved. The multiple levels of oversight can also ensure “that no single ideology or interest dictates the values embedded in artificial intelligence systems,” according to the Pope.

He added that AI’s rapid development could risk creating kinds of technological dependence in which poorer nations are increasingly reliant on wealthier ones and urged everyone to be vigilant, “lest innovation become another vehicle for ideological or economic colonialism.”

“Sadly, we are presented with a subtle form of domination when algorithms decide who is seen, who remains invisible, when digital platforms shape public discourse without accountability, and when the dignity of workers is subordinated to the optimization of systems,” he said.

He described this as the revealing of “a new face of the ancient temptation to domination and mastery without service.”

Pope Leo contrasted this “culture of power” with what the Church proposes as “the civilization of love.” 

This latter civilization “would govern artificial intelligence wisely by cultivating hearts capable of charity, compassion and responsibility,” he said. “In such a society, the first school of humanity would be the family. For it is within the family that we first learn trust before calculation, generosity before competition, dialogue before division, and love before power.”

“Artificial intelligence must never be allowed to erode this primary cell of society — whether by reducing persons and relationships to data and simulations, by flooding young minds with content that distorts desire, or by economic models that make family life economically precarious,” he continued. “For this reason, I encourage you to promote policies that strengthen marriage and families, support parents in their educational mission and enable young people to look to the future with confidence.”

The Pope also explained why AI must be directed toward the common good.

“Dear friends, the world does not need an artificial intelligence that diminishes humanity; rather, it needs human intelligence enlightened by wisdom, political authority guided by conscience and technological innovation directed by charity,” he said. “Only then will artificial intelligence become not a rival to humanity but a servant of the common good.”