Pope Leo XIV Warns AI and Technology Threaten Humanity During France Visit

Pope Leo XIV opened a four-day state visit to France on Friday by issuing a sharp warning against artificial intelligence and technological advancement, cautioning that society risks losing its essence inside a "paradise of machines". Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace and later addressing diplomats at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the pontiff argued that computational systems and profit-driven scientific ventures are increasingly subordinating human dignity to raw efficiency.

The deployment of autonomous weapons systems makes warfare more feasible and less subject to human control. Legislative discussions have involved debate between parliamentary chambers and divisions across the political spectrum.

The pontiff's remarks mark his first official state visit to France in 18 years, drawing hundreds of thousands of worshippers into the streets of Paris amid tight security and widespread public attention. Beyond artificial intelligence, the pope used his opening addresses to reiterate the Vatican's strict opposition to nuclear deterrence doctrines, which he described as fueling a dangerous new global arms race, and to voice concern over modern medical and scientific initiatives.

Addressing state authorities in Paris, Pope Leo identified artificial intelligence as one of the preeminent challenges facing contemporary society, recalling that he dedicated his first papal encyclical to demanding rigorous regulatory oversight for developers. He criticized a growing societal paradox where computational systems are granted simulated intelligence while living human beings are judged strictly by productivity metrics.

"The paradox has become increasingly evident: while intelligence is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognise the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded," Pope Leo said. He added that avoiding the displacement of humanity requires immediate educational investments in ethical discernment, noting in earlier remarks to reporters that technology executives have shown openness to ensuring AI serves as a practical tool rather than a destructive force.

Expanding his critique beyond digital systems, Pope Leo warned against scientific ventures driven purely by profit motives. He explicitly cautioned that unchecked technological acceleration risks promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, human organ trading, and assisted dying frameworks.

The pontiff reaffirmed that protecting the foundational right to life remains indispensable for all other human rights. While he did not explicitly mention domestic legislation by name, his remarks arrived just months after France enacted a landmark law establishing a legal right to assisted dying for individuals suffering from incurable illnesses, touching off intense national debate across the country.

The visit unfolds against the backdrop of France's strict constitutional separation of church and state, known as laïcité. President Macron welcomed the pope as a great honour, emphasizing that French secularism does not negate religious expression, while Pope Leo countered that authentic secularism must not exclude faith from public life or education.

Crowds estimated by the Vatican at approximately 300,000 people lined Parisian thoroughfares on Friday, greeting the pontiff as he rode in the popemobile toward Notre-Dame cathedral to inspect restoration work following the devastating 2019 fire. Later in the evening, Pope Leo addressed roughly 80,000 young people during a prayer vigil at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

The papal itinerary continues with a massive open-air Mass expected to draw over half a million attendees at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris, followed by a Sunday gathering of 150,000 people at the Pyrenean sanctuary of Lourdes. In Lourdes, the pope is scheduled to meet directly with victims of clerical sexual abuse.

The four-day journey concludes on Monday in Metz in northeastern France, where Pope Leo will pay public tribute to Robert Schuman, a foundational architect of the European Union and a devout Catholic currently undergoing beatification consideration. Throughout the remainder of the tour, the pontiff is also set to engage with migrant groups in the French capital.