VATICAN CITY (RNS) — From the start of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV signaled his interest — and concern — over the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence, prompting many Vatican observers to believe a major papal document might be coming to address autonomous systems and their impact on humanity.
The Vatican has been carefully observing the rise of AI, which has made dramatic leaps just this year. The new version of ChatGPT, released by OpenAI in February, claims improved emotional understanding, and Google’s AlphaEvolve is creatively solving mathematical problems. Google’s Veo 3 creates state-of-the-art AI videos with synched audio. AI-controlled F-16s are now rivaling human pilots, and China is deploying intelligent robots to do an increasing number of tasks, from waiting tables to providing health care. Experts say Artificial General Intelligence — machines capable of simulating human reasoning — may be only a few years away.
A mathematician, canon lawyer and theologian, Pope Leo has shown he understands the stakes. Speaking to cardinals in the Sistine Chapel only 48 hours after his election, he said he was inspired to take the name Leo to follow in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who in 1891 issued “Rerum Novarum” (“On Revolutions”) to address the upheavals of the …
