According to Business Insider, Pope Leo XIV made his first direct address to AI industry leaders in an X post on Friday, following his earlier message to Builders AI Forum 2025 participants about a week prior. The American pope specifically called on AI builders to “cultivate moral discernment” and develop systems reflecting justice, solidarity, and reverence for life. He emphasized that technological innovation represents participation in divine creation and carries ethical weight, with every design choice expressing a vision of humanity. Pope Leo stated AI work cannot be confined to research labs or investment portfolios but must serve evangelization and human development. His comments come as Google, Microsoft, Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI race to develop transformative AI products like Claude and ChatGPT that are already changing society.
The Vatican’s emerging AI agenda
Here’s the thing – this isn’t some random religious figure making generic comments about technology. We’re talking about the first American pope, who’s been head of the Catholic Church since May, specifically targeting AI builders in their own spaces. He’s not just speaking from the Vatican – he’s posting on X and addressing industry forums directly.
And his timing is pretty strategic. Look at what’s happening right now: we’ve got this massive AI gold rush where everyone’s chasing the next breakthrough, safety concerns are getting sidelined, and ethical considerations often feel like an afterthought. Pope Leo is basically saying “slow down and think about what you’re building.” But he’s framing it in religious terms that resonate with a global audience of 1.3 billion Catholics.
More than just tech ethics
What’s interesting is how he’s positioning this as fundamentally spiritual work. He’s not just talking about avoiding bias or being transparent – he’s calling AI development “participation in the divine act of creation.” That’s heavy stuff. He wants algorithms for Catholic education, healthcare tools with compassion, platforms that tell Christian stories with truth and beauty.
But here’s my question: can you really build “reverence for life” into an algorithm? I mean, we’re struggling to get AI to not hallucinate facts, and now we’re expecting it to embody spiritual values? It seems like the Vatican is trying to stake its claim in the AI conversation before the technology becomes too entrenched.
The pope’s been consistent on this too – back in May, he told the College of Cardinals that AI poses new challenges for human dignity and justice. So this isn’t a one-off comment. It feels like the Catholic Church is developing a comprehensive AI theology, and they want a seat at the table while the technology is still being shaped.
