Pope Leo XIV is urging governments, media leaders, and the faithful to confront the growing emotional power of artificial intelligence, warning that some AI chatbots risk replacing authentic human relationships and undermining human dignity.
In a message released ahead of the Catholic Church’s World Day of Social Communications, the Pope cautioned that AI systems designed to be emotionally responsive and constantly available can become more than tools. According to CNN, Leo warned that overly “affectionate” chatbots can act as “hidden architects of our emotional states,” quietly shaping feelings and behavior while intruding into users’ most personal spaces.
The Pope noted that the digital environment has made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real human interaction and artificial simulation. “As we scroll through our information feeds, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand whether we are interacting with other human beings, bots, or virtual influencers,” he wrote, according to CNN.
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Leo emphasized that such confusion carries serious consequences. When machines are allowed to mimic intimacy, he said, they risk diluting human creativity, weakening decision-making, and eroding the freedom that lies at the heart of human dignity.
According to CNN, Pope Leo XIV has made artificial intelligence a central concern of his papacy, engaging the issue more directly than his predecessors. Prior to his election, he maintained a social media presence, and as pope he has publicly called for the development of an ethical framework to guide AI’s rapid expansion.
That concern has been shaped by real-world harm. CNN reports that in late 2025, Leo met with Megan Garcia, whose 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer, died by suicide after engaging extensively with an AI chatbot. In light of such cases, the Pope has called on national governments and international bodies to intervene.
“Appropriate regulation can protect people from an emotional attachment to chatbots and contain the spread of false, manipulative or misleading content,” Leo wrote, according to CNN, stressing the need to preserve truth and human agency.
The Pope also raised alarms about the concentration of power among a small number of technology companies. He expressed concern that a “handful of companies” now control AI systems capable of subtly influencing behavior and even rewriting history — including the history of the Church — without users fully realizing it, CNN reported.
For journalists and communicators, Leo underscored the moral obligation to protect truth and transparency. He insisted that distinctions between AI-generated content and human-created work must remain clear, stating that “authorship and sovereign ownership of the work of journalists and other content creators must be protected,” adding that “information is a public good,” according to the report.
He further warned media companies not to sacrifice ethical standards for engagement, cautioning against the use of algorithms designed merely to capture “a few more seconds of attention” at the expense of professional integrity.
The Church’s World Day of Social Communications will be observed on May 17, 2026, with a focus on safeguarding human dignity amid technological innovation. Pope Leo’s message frames artificial intelligence not as an enemy, but as a powerful force that must remain ordered to truth, authentic relationships, and the irreplaceable value of the human person.
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