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Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV identifies biggest threat to humanity
The Brief Pope Leo XIV is echoing the concerns of his predecessor, identifying artificial intelligence as the biggest threat to humanity. In his first formal audience Saturday, Leo also committed to making the Catholic Church more inclusive. Pope Leo XIV made a surprise visit Saturday to a sanctuary south of Rome, where he laid out the vision for his papacy and identified what he sees as the greatest challenge facing humanity. In his first formal audience, Leo repeatedly cited former Pope Francis and the Argentine pope's own 2013 mission statement, making clear a commitment to making the Catholic Church more inclusive and attentive to the faithful and a church that looks out for the "least and rejected." What they're saying Leo XIV identified AI as one of the main issues facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labor. RELATED: Pope Leo XIV's first address: Full text Leo said he identified with his predecessor, who addressed the great social question of the day posed by the industrial revolution in the encyclical. "In our own day, the church offers everyone the treasury of its 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 labor," he said. RELATED: What is an Augustinian? The backstory Toward the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it. He warned that such powerful technology risks turning human relations into mere algorithms. Francis brought his message to the Group of Seven industrialized nations when he addressed their summit last year, insisting AI must remain human-centric so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines. RELATED: List: Countries with the most, fewest popes Francis also used his 2024 annual peace message to call for an international treaty to ensure AI is developed and used ethically, arguing that a technology lacking human values of compassion, mercy, morality and forgiveness is too perilous to develop unchecked. Dig deeper Leo referred to AI in explaining the choice of his name: His namesake, Pope Leo XIII, was pope from 1878 to 1903 and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought. He did so most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers' rights and capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age. The late pope criticized both laissez-faire capitalism and state-centric socialism, giving shape to a distinctly Catholic vein of economic teaching. The Source This report includes information from The Associated Press.
Gizmodo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
The New Pope Wants to Take on AI
The Catholic Church is not exactly known for being on the cutting edge of policy—it was still performing mass in Latin until the 1960s, after all. But the newly selected Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born Robert Prevost, has his eyes toward the future when it comes to artificial intelligence. In his first formal meeting with cardinals of the church, he pointed to the development of AI as one of the biggest challenges facing humanity, according to CNN. '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 labor,' he told the senior clergy members. He also said he chose his name, Leo, as a signal of his intention to follow in the footsteps of Pope Leo XIII, who he said worked to address 'the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.' Pope Leo XIII, who served as the leader of the church from 1878 to 1903, is perhaps best known for an encyclical he issued in 1891 entitled 'Rerum Novarum' or 'Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor.' A landmark text on worker rights, the letter was a call to relieve 'the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class' and issued support for, among other things, the unionization of labor. Leo XIV is also picking up the baton from his predecessor, Pope Francis, who also identified AI as a potential risk to humanity if not developed and deployed ethically and in a human-centered way. Francis issued ' Antiqua et Nova ,' the 'Note on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence,' in which he insisted that any developments in the field of AI must 'serve human dignity and not harm it.' Pope Francis also spoke publicly on AI at the 2024 G7 Summit, where he described AI as the start of a 'cognitive-industrial revolution' and warned that it posed the risk of causing 'greater injustice between advanced and developing nations or between dominant and oppressed social classes.' He also delivered remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year before his passing, in which he warned that 'human dignity and fraternity are frequently subordinated in the pursuit of efficiency' during the advancement of new technologies, and called on those involved with the development of AI to ensure it 'promotes human dignity, the vocation of the human person, and the common good.'
Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Pope Leo says AI is main challenge for humanity
Pope Leo XIV has said artificial intelligence (AI) is the main challenge for humanity in his first address to cardinals. The new pontiff vowed to continue some of Pope Francis's missions, including making the Catholic Church more inclusive. The first American Pope told the cardinals who elected him that he was fully committed to the reforms. He singled out AI as one of the main issues facing humanity, saying: 'In our own day, the Church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.' Pope Francis had become increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it. He warned that such powerful technology risked turning human relations into mere algorithms. Ahead of the conclave, the secret process of electing a new pontiff, an artificially generated image of Donald Trump dressed as the pope sparked criticism across the globe. The picture depicted the US president draped in white robes while wearing a gold crucifix and mitre hat and pointing his right index finger to the sky. The post by Mr Trump was called insulting by some Catholics, while the president claimed they 'loved it'. Other AI videos were shared widely on the internet. One depicted cardinals turning the conclave into a party, with a DJ booth, drinking games and karaoke. Pope Francis used his 2024 peace message to call for an international treaty to ensure that AI was developed and used ethically. Pope Leo XIV prays at the tomb of his predecessor Pope Francis. — Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 10, 2025 On Saturday night, Leo XIV prayed at the tomb of Pope Francis. Vatican News published a photo of him kneeling before Francis's simple marble tomb at Santa Maria Maggiore, a papal basilica in Rome beloved of Francis. In his first Mass on Friday, Pope Leo also said the Church must do more to reach places around the world where there was a lack of faith. In his homily, he said people with a lack of faith often suffered a 'loss of meaning in life', adding: 'A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.' He said he had been elected as the Pope so the Church could be an increasingly bright beacon in a troubled world.
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Pope Leo XIV Reveals How AI Influenced His Name Choice
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has already referenced artificial intelligence as a key issue facing ... More humanity. Artificial intelligence played a role in Pope Leo XIV's name selection, the newly elected leader of the Catholic church said on Saturday. And no, ChatGPT didn't pick it for him. In his first formal address to the College of Cardinals following his election on Thursday, the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost spoke of how his namesake Pope Leo XIII led the church from 1878 until 1903 during a pivotal period that saw the development of the automobile and airplane and the growth of steel production. In his remarks to the cardinals who elected him, the pope likened the transformational change of his predecessor's era to today's technological advancements dominated by AI. 'Pope Leo XIII, with the historic Encyclical Rerum novarum, addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution,' Pope Leo said. 'Today, the Church offers to all her treasure of social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence.' Pope XIII issued his famous 1891 Rerum novarum, or Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor, as an open letter to Catholic leadership addressing the need for just and humane conditions for the working class amid rapid industrial expansion. '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 defence of human dignity, justice and labor,' the new pope told the cardinals who elected him on day two of the papal conclave. A few days earlier, President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself in papal attire after joking that he would like to be pontiff. In addressing AI, Pope Leo XIV follows in the footsteps of late Pope Francis, who on several occasions spoke of the dangers, opportunities and ethical concerns of the technology. Pope Francis himself fell victim to AI fakery in 2023 when an AI-generated of him in a designer white puffer jacket went viral, and during a speech in Vatican City in January 2024, he warned about the rise of 'images that appear perfectly plausible but false (I too have been an object of this).' At the G7 conference later that year, he spoke extensively about AI's threat and promise, urging world leaders to develop 'algor-ethics,' or principles governing the ethical use of algorithms, that are 'capable of finding support from cultures, religions, international organizations and major corporations.' Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis were friends, and on Saturday, the new pope paid tribute to his predecessor, citing Francis' simplicity and dedication to service. 'Let us treasure this precious legacy and resume our journey,' he said, 'animated by the same hope that comes from faith.' On Saturday, the new pope underscored themes emphasized by Pope Francis: popular piety, care for the poor and courageous engagement with the world — of course, the need to respond to the digital revolution.
South China Morning Post
10-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Pope Leo XIV sees AI as main challenge for humanity, explains link to his name
Pope Leo XIV laid out the vision of his papacy on Saturday, identifying artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity and vowing to continue with some of the core priorities of Pope Francis. Advertisement The former cardinal Robert Prevost referred to AI in explaining his choice of the name 'Leo', as he presided over his first formal audience – with the cardinals who elected him. His namesake, Pope Leo XIII, was pontiff from 1878 to 1903, and was famously interested in workers' rights and the impact of capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age. In his remarks on Saturday, Leo said he identified with his predecessor. 'In our own day, the church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour,' he said. Advertisement Toward the end of his pontificate, Leo XIV's predecessor Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it.
