Pope Leo XIV has come out with more thoughts about the emerging dangers of artificial intelligence, noting that the technology cannot be considered “morally neutral” and that there must be “responsibility” adopted at “every stage” by the companies developing it.
“We cannot consider #AI to be morally neutral,” the Pope wrote Thursday on X. “In reality, every technical tool embodies choices and priorities through what it measures, ignores and optimizes, and how it classifies people and situations.”
“Ethical discernment cannot be limited to asking whether we are using a system for good or bad purposes,” his tweet continued. “It must also examine how that system is designed and what vision of the human person and society is embedded in the data and models that guide it.”
The head of the Catholic Church’s latest comments continue the anti-AI crusade he has been spearheading for several weeks now. In late May, he published a 42,300-word open letter titled “Magnifica Humanitas” unpacking the dangers and dilemmas of AI. In that letter, the Pope called for “regulatory tools capable of upholding justice and curbing the distorting effects of technological power.”
We cannot consider #AI to be morally neutral. In reality, every technical tool embodies choices and priorities through what it measures, ignores, and optimizes, and how it classifies people and situations. Ethical discernment cannot be limited to asking whether we are using a…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) June 25, 2026
On Thursday, the Pope added that those developing new AI systems must be held to a level of account for the “decisions” that said systems make.
“For AI to respect human dignity and truly serve the common good, responsibility must be clearly defined at every stage: from those who design and develop these systems to those who use them and rely on them,” he wrote. “It must be possible to identify who must ‘account’ for decisions, justify them, monitor them and, when necessary, challenge them and remedy any harm caused.”
The Pope’s May letter called for the regulation of AI companies, protection and retraining of workers whose livelihoods will be threatened by the technology and the education of young students to ensure that its implementation does not impact their growth and learning. He also touched on the necessity of ensuring that children are better protected from violent and sexual AI-generated content.
In conjunction with the Pope’s public messages about the technology, the Vatican has also created a commission to discuss the challenges posed by AI.
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