A recent Vatican missive approved by Pope Francis has warned of the risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI), while also stressing that, ultimately, it’s human intelligence that may guide the morality of its use.
The results of a collaboration between the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and drawing on various recent addresses by the pontiff, Antiqua et Nova: Note on the connection between artificial intelligence and human intelligence exhorts “those entrusted with transmitting the religion” in addition to “those that share the conviction that scientific and technological advances needs to be directed toward serving the human person and the common good” to stay aware of the excellence between human intelligence and AI.
Calling AI a “a part of the collaboration of man and woman with God”, the missive quotes Pope Francis in warning that “the very use of the word ‘intelligence’ in connection to AI ‘can prove misleading'”.
“In light of this, AI mustn’t be seen as a synthetic type of human intelligence, but as a product of it,” the document states.
It then talks of the vast potential AI has for assisting human endeavours, but additionally warns of its potential for harm within the absence of ethical guidance.
“As in all areas where humans are called to make decisions, the shadow of evil also looms here,” it said.
“The moral evaluation of this technology might want to take note of the way it is directed and used.”
Pope Francis has been probably the most high-profile subjects of using AI to generate deepfake images, with images of him in a bomber jacket and resembling a rapper or locked in an embrace with US celebrity Madonna going viral and generating headlines world wide. This has left him uniquely suited to talk on the specter of fake news.
“AI-generated fake media can step by step undermine the foundations of society,” the statement reads.
“This issue requires careful regulation, as misinformation—especially through AI-controlled or influenced media—can spread unintentionally, fuelling political polarization and social unrest.”
It goes on to warn of the potential to sow confusion and misdirection in other areas, saying that “using AI to deceive in other contexts—comparable to education or in human relationships, including the sphere of sexuality—can be to be considered immoral and requires careful oversight”.
Unsurprisingly, it saves a few of its strongest language for using AI in war, calling tools that utilise AI in “identifying and striking targets without direct human intervention” a “cause for grave ethical concern”.
It also references calls from Pope Francis for his or her use to be banned, saying that they pose an “existential risk” to humanity itself.
“This danger demands serious attention,” the document says, “reflecting the long-standing concern about technologies that grant war ‘an uncontrollable destructive power over great numbers of innocent civilians,’ without even sparing children.”
Pope Francis has spoken out strongly on the subject of AI in recent times, sending a press release to the 2025 World Economic Forum, held at Davos-Klosters last month, that was read out to delegates by Cardinal Peter Turkson, a Vatican official.
“This technology is designed to learn and make sure decisions autonomously, adapting to recent situations and providing answers not foreseen by its programmers, thus raising fundamental questions on ethical responsibility, human safety, and the broader implications of those developments for society,” his statement read.
Pope Francis said governments and businesses must exercise “due diligence and vigilance” in navigating the brand new technology’s complexities, because the world faced a “growing crisis of truth in the general public forum” with AI’s output often being almost indistinguishable from that of humans.
“Unlike many other human inventions, AI is trained on the outcomes of human creativity, which enables it to generate recent artefacts with a skill level and speed that usually rival or surpasses human capabilities, raising critical concerns about its impact on humanity’s role on the planet,” the Pope said.
