AI, Social Media Among Threats to Human Dignity, Says Pope Leo XIV

Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV highlighted artificial intelligence and social media as significant threats to human dignity during a meeting with Italian bishops at the Vatican on Tuesday.

According to Ansa News Agency, the American pontiff addressed the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) in the Vatican’s Hall of Blessings, emphasizing challenges that undermine respect for human dignity. He pointed out that technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, the data economy, and social media are dramatically altering how life is perceived and experienced.

Pope Leo XIV expressed concern that within this transformative context, the inherent dignity of human beings might be overshadowed or forgotten, potentially being replaced by systems, automatisms, and simulations. He stressed that a human being is not merely a collection of algorithms but rather a creature defined by relationships and mystery.