Pope Leo XIV revealed that his papal name was partially inspired by the looming challenges of a world increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence.
In his first formal address as the Vatican’s newly elected pope on Saturday, Leo told the College of Cardinals that he chose to name himself after Pope Leo XIII, who led the Catholic Church from his election in 1878 to his death in 1903. During his papacy, Leo XIII maintained a dedication to social issues and workers rights after much of the world had just been reshaped by the Industrial Revolution.
Though he said there are various reasons for the name he chose, Leo XIV primarily pointed to Leo XIII’s historic encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” also known as “Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor,” which laid a foundation for modern Catholic social teachings.
Issued in 1891, the open letter emphasized that “some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.”
“In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labour,” Leo XIV, previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, said in his address on Saturday, according to a transcript.
Much like the Industrial Revolution, the acceleration of generative AI in recent years has already transformed the world and raised a flurry of concerns over how these new technologies will impact human labor. AI, still unregulated in much of the world, has given rise to misinformation (including by using stolen human likenesses) as well as conflicts over intellectual property and job displacement.
Francis himself was the subject of AI disinformation in 2023 when an AI-generated image depicting him wearing a trendy puffer jacket went viral online — one of the first widespread incidents showcasing the potential of AI to mislead and misinform.
In a warning issued by Francis early last year, the pope addressed the potential of AI to push out “partially or completely false narratives,” further cement “echo chambers” and create “new castes based on access to information and thus giving rise to new forms of exploitation and inequality.”
Leo, the first pontiff born in the U.S., indicated in his Saturday address that he aims to continue furthering the work of Francis, who was known for his commitment to social justice.
“It has been clearly seen in the example of so many of my Predecessors, and most recently by Pope Francis himself, with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house,” the transcript said. “Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.”
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