Pope Leo XIV warns AI is 'turning people into passive consumers' of art

Pope Leo XIV warned about the risks of artificial intelligence in a message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications on May 17, saying "Faces and voices are sacred" and cautioning that AI can turn people "into passive consumers of unthought thoughts."

He said "In recent years, artificial intelligence systems have increasingly taken control of the production of texts, music and videos," a shift that "puts much of the human creative industry at risk of being dismantled and replaced with the label 'Powered by AI.'"

The Pope added that masterpieces of music, art and literature are being reduced to training grounds for machines, leaving behind "anonymous products without ownership or love."

He also warned that the "power of simulation is such that AI can even deceive us by fabricating parallel 'realities,' usurping our faces and voices," creating a world where "it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from fiction."

Rather than call for halting innovation, the Pope said the task is to guide it: an "alliance" is possible but must rest on "responsibility, cooperation and education," including a push to "introduce media, information and AI literacy into education systems at all levels."

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