Pope Leo has warned that technological progress, including artificial intelligence, must remain focused on serving humanity rather than becoming a tool for domination, injustice and dehumanisation.
Reflecting on what it means to be human, Pope Leo said people are born dependent on others — “naked and in need”, requiring food, words of care and affection.
But as people grow older, he said, they risk forgetting that fundamental vulnerability, potentially allowing humanity to be “betrayed or cast aside, exploited or deceived”.
“Life is no longer understood as a gift, but as a commodity. It is no longer viewed as a summons to care and responsibility, but as a product to be exploited,” he said.
Pope Leo also described freedom as an essential part of being human, saying people must recognise both the “grandeur” and “immense potential” of human life.
At the same time, he stressed that being human carries a responsibility towards history.
“The human being is one who grows, learns, and works with both hands and mind,” he said.
Lessons From The Second World War
Turning to history, Pope Leo reflected on the tragedy of the Second World War and the lessons humanity was forced to learn from it.
He said the conflict demonstrated how scientific advancement, when separated from wisdom, could ultimately become a weapon of destruction.
Eight decades later, he said, the founding charter of Unesco — established against that historical backdrop — continues to uphold the importance of placing human development and peace at the centre of progress.
His remarks then turned towards modern technology and the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
“Our efforts in this domain must ensure that new technologies remain at the service of the human person, rather than becoming yet another instrument of domination and injustice,” Pope Leo said.
Warning Over AI And Dehumanisation
In a particularly strong warning, Pope Leo said technological development could create a paradox in which machines are increasingly described using human qualities while the dignity of actual human beings is diminished.
“Over the centuries, many tasks once performed by human beings have been entrusted to machines whose capabilities and applications have continued to expand,” he said.
“More recently, certain artificial systems have even been given the name of our human faculty of thought — intelligence.”
But he warned that human ideas and relationships could simultaneously become poorer through a process of dehumanisation.
“The paradox has become increasingly evident,” he said.
While intelligence is attributed to computational systems, Pope Leo warned that society risks failing to recognise the “inalienable dignity” of people whose lives are increasingly judged according to efficiency.
He cautioned that those considered no longer productive could ultimately be “rejected and discarded”.
His message comes amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and growing debate over how technology should be developed and used without undermining human dignity, relationships and responsibility.
