Pope Leo XIV has warned that humanity risks losing itself in a “paradise of machines”, calling for urgent ethical education as artificial intelligence increasingly shapes daily life. The warning came on Friday as he began a four-day visit to France, the first official papal trip to the country in 18 years.
Speaking after President Emmanuel Macron welcomed him at the Élysée Palace, the pope said that if people are to avoid losing their humanity amid machines “invading and conditioning our daily lives”, there is an urgent need for “education in ethical discernment”.
AI and the limits of technology
The pope’s comments come at a time of global debate about the risks of AI, a debate that reached the UN Security Council this week. His message focused less on the technology itself than on the human capacity to judge how it should be used.
He also voiced concern about trends that, in his words, risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures, citing genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs and the possibility of arranging one’s own death. The remarks followed France’s adoption of legislation in June allowing some adult patients the right to assisted dying.
Religion in a secular republic
France has formally separated church and state since the early 20th century, and its strict secularism has been used in recent years to justify bans on religious symbols, including restrictions on clothing worn by Muslim women in schools and public spaces.
The pope said that “authentic secularity” should not mean excluding religion from public life or education, but should instead involve the state and religious institutions working together for the common good. His visit comes seven months before the first round of France’s presidential election, in which the anti-immigration far right sees its strongest chance yet of winning power.
A call for peace
The pope, the first from the United States and whose paternal grandmother was born in France, urged the country to remain a “tireless champion of peace” as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues into its fifth year. On the flight to Paris, he told reporters he was travelling as a follower of Jesus Christ to proclaim peace, a message he said was particularly important at this moment.
Four days, three cities
Around a million people were expected at events in Paris during the first two days of the visit. The programme includes:
- A popemobile procession to Notre Dame Cathedral, where he is the first pope to see the restoration following the 2019 fire
- A gathering with about 80,000 young people at a stadium in Saint-Denis
- A giant open-air mass at Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées on Saturday
- A visit to Lourdes, where he is to meet privately with victims of clerical sexual abuse
- A stop in Metz, near the German border, to speak about peace in Europe
Only around five per cent of France’s 69 million people regularly attend Catholic mass, according to a survey last year, though adult and teenage baptisms have been rising.
Why it matters
As leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope’s words carry weight far beyond the Church. His framing of AI as an ethical challenge, about education, human dignity and who benefits from new technology, adds a moral voice to a debate that has so far been dominated by governments and technology companies, and echoes concerns raised by developing countries, including Pakistan, about how the benefits and risks of AI are shared.
Reporting draws on accounts published by Dawn and AFP.
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