Leo XIV does not want to become an AI pope as an avatar

Pope Leo XIV firmly refuses to create an AI version of himself. He warns that this technology could seriously jeopardize human identity. As the pontiff revealed to author Elise Allen of Crux magazine in an interview for a biography, someone had asked him for permission to develop an "artificial pope." This would allow anyone to have a "personal" audience with the Bishop of Rome.

"This artificial pope would have given people answers to their questions, and I said: I will not approve this," emphasized the head of the Catholic Church. "If there is anyone who should not be represented by an avatar, then I would say the pope is at the top of that list."

Since his election in May, Pope Leo has repeatedly expressed his concerns about the potential impact of AI on humanity. Initially, he was primarily concerned with the well-being of children and young people. Access to data should not be confused with intelligence, he cautioned. In his first phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in May, he discussed working with the Italian government to develop artificial intelligence "that is ethical and serves humanity."

Can God be present in AI?

In the interview, Pope Leo also warned about the impact of AI on employment and identity. "Human dignity has a very important relationship to the work we do," he explained. "If we automate the whole world and only a few people have the means," society will face a "huge problem."

The 70-year-old also expressed his conviction that "it will be very difficult to discover the presence of God in AI. At least in human relationships we can find signs of his presence." If the Church and other critics do not raise their voices, there is a danger "that the digital world will go its own way and we will be nothing more than pawns on a chessboard or left by the wayside." According to Leo, AI also puts the value of human labor and thus respect for human beings at stake.

The Church is by no means opposed to technological progress, the head of the Church emphasized. But faith must not take a back seat in the age of AI. He warned: "If we lose the relationship between faith and reason, between science and faith, science will remain an empty, cold shell and cause great harm to humanity." At the same time, the Pope acknowledged the positive aspects of AI, which has enabled great advances in medicine and other fields. Nevertheless, he said, there is a danger that an artificial world could be created and the truth lost in the process. This is a trend that is also evident in the growing spread of fake news and conspiracy theories.

(vbr)