Pope rejects idea of a "virtual pope" and explains his vision of AI

- Cindy Wooden, CNS

Leo XIV has indicated that he is appalled by a proposal to create an artificial intelligence-based version of him, a "virtual pope." "If there is anyone who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is at the top of the list." So he has expressed himself in an interview with Elise Allen, talking about AI (Artificial Intelligence), among other things.

– Supernatural interview Allen's July 30 interview with Pope Leo is the last chapter of his biography, "Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century". It has been published in Spanish by Penguin Peru on September 18. The text, in English and Spanish, was given to journalists.

Pope Leo made clear his concern about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) after his election in early May. And he has given some concrete examples of why.

An artificial self: "I am not going to authorize it".

"Recently, someone asked for authorization to create an artificial self so that anyone could access this website and have a personal audience with 'the Pope,'" he told Allen. "This artificially intelligent pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize it.'"

It is true that human creativity can be amazing and artificial intelligence has already proven its usefulness in some fields. But "there is a danger in this, because you end up creating a fake world and then you ask yourself, what is the truth?".

Impact on human dignity and employment.

At the heart of his concern, the Pope said, is the impact of AI on human dignity and employment.

"Our human life has meaning not thanks to artificial intelligence," he said. "But thanks to human beings and to encounter, to be with one another, to create relationships and to discover in those human relationships also the presence of God."

"The danger is that the digital world will go its own way and we will either become pawns or be left by the wayside," especially when it comes to employment, he said.

Human dignity has a very important relationship with the work we do," the Pope said. "The fact that we can, thanks to the gifts we have received, produce, offer something to the world and earn a living" is a sign of human dignity.

Pope Leo said he believes there is a looming crisis because of the lack of enough decent jobs for people due to technology and artificial intelligence.

There may be a huge problem in the future

"If we automate the whole world and only a few people have the means to not just survive, but to live well, to have meaningful lives, there will be a big problem. A huge problem in the future," he said.

"That was one of the questions on my mind when I chose the name Leo," the Pope said. His choice paid homage to Pope Leo XIII, author of the encyclical 'Rerum Novarum'. In it he addressed labor issues and workers' rights during the Industrial Revolution.

Relationship between science and faith

"The Church is not against advances in technology, not at all," he said, but also insists on maintaining a relationship between faith and reason, and science and faith.

"I believe that losing that relationship will leave science as an empty, cold shell that will seriously damage the essence of humanity," Pope Leo said. "And the human heart will be lost in the midst of technological development, as it is today."