Pope Leo XIV warns against artificial intelligence’s dangers at UNESCO

Pope Leo XIV warned against the dangers of artificial intelligence on Friday, stating that new technologies must “remain at the service of the human person”, rather than becoming “yet another instrument of domination and injustice.”

Speaking at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris as part of his four-day trip to France, the pontiff declared that AI risks impoverishing human “ideas and relationships” through a “process of dehumanisation”, while also criticising the ever-growing emphasis on productivity in modern societies.

Delivering his speech in both French and English, he argued that judging people according to the “criterion of efficiency” risked undermining respect for human dignity, leading “those who are no longer productive” to be rejected and discarded.

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a prominent theme of the Pope’s pontificate. In May, he published his first 42,300 word encyclical entitled “Magnifica humanitas”, which addressed the risks that unchecked artificial intelligence creates for humans, arguing in favour of further regulatory oversight.

In his speech, the Pope stressed the need to ensure that emerging technologies offer adequate safeguards for children, stating that the “vulnerability” of young people must “never become an opportunity for exploitation.”

European policymakers have been grappling with how to protect children from online harms, with measures such as school phone bans already in place, while the European Commission has proposed the Kids Act, which could restrict social media access for children under 13, gaining increasing attention.

‘The most terrible of human works is war’

The Pope also addressed war and reference UNESCO’s motto, “since wars begin in the minds of women and men, it is in the minds of women and men that the defences of peace must be constructed.”

His remarks come as the world grapples with multiple ongoing conflicts, including the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Against this backdrop, the Pope declared that “humanity has come to realise that scientific progress, when it’s severed from wisdom, can turn into a weapon of destruction.”

He also reflected on the role of international institutions, saying they are viewed “with mixed feelings”: on the one hand acting as bodies which tackle challenges that “no single state can face alone”, while also “undergoing a crisis of effectiveness, especially when dialogue is seen as an obstacle to action.”

In response, the pontiff called for greater “trust.”

“Trust that differences do not necessarily pose a threat. Trust that sincere dialogue can bring about a greater good than what each person could achieve alone,” he said.

The comments come as international cooperation faces growing political tensions. In July 2025, the Trump administration announced its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, describing the organisation as “woke”, culturally divisive and “out-of-step” with the policies supported by Americans who voted the US President in. The decision is set to take effect in December 2026.

A morning visit to the Elysée

Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the Pope to the Elysée Palace, alongside a number of figures including diplomatic authorities, firemen who intervened during the Notre-Dame-de-Paris fire and representatives from various religious authorities.

During his address, the pontiff reaffirmed the importance of the human right to life — a tense sticking point between France’s Catholic Church and politicians.

France enshrined the right to abortion to its constitution in 2024 and earlier this year, a controversial law in favour of assisted dying in extreme medical situation was passed, which revived some of these tensions.

The pontiff qualified the right to life as “the indispensable foundation to every other human right.”

He also addressed the global situation by reaffirming the Vatican’s staunch opposition to nuclear weapons, calling out the “mistaken belief” that nuclear deterrents provide solutions.

After his UNESCO speech, the pontiff whisked away in his popemobile for a parade through Paris, before Vespers at the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral and a major evening prayer vigil with young people at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.