Pope Leo doubles down on AI warnings after return from France

Pope Leo XIV continued speaking out against unchecked AI development as he returned from a four-day trip to France on Monday, Sept. 28.

Speaking with reporters, he raised that concerns about AI going rogue shouldn't be dismissed. "This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about," he said, per the Associated Press. "We can't just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen."

Still, the 71-year-old pontiff said he isn't overly alarmed. "If someone were to ask me 'Am I in panic mode?' No I'm not. I sleep at night," he said. "I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI should be taken seriously."

During an address to leaders at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Friday, Sept. 25, Leo warned that machines are "invading and conditioning our daily lives."

He said, "If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a 'paradise of machines'... there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good."

His comments echo his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, released in May, in which he called for "disarming AI" — not rejecting the technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity. He wrote that regulation alone isn't enough; AI "must be disarmed, welcoming and accessible."

Leo also said he was glad his message was being heard, adding that tech companies seem open to ensuring AI serves as "a tool for human beings" rather than a threat to humanity.