Pope Leo XIV Rejects AI Avatar, Warns of Technology's Impact on Humanity

Pope Leo XIV 'Not Going to Authorize' an AI Version of Himself

Alex Valdes from Bellevue, Washington has been pumping content into the Internet river for quite a while, including stints at MSNBC.com, MSN, Bing, MoneyTalksNews, Tipico and more. He admits to being somewhat fascinated by the Cambridge coffee webcam back in the Roaring '90s. Pope Leo XIV isn't ready to outsource himself to AI just yet. The first American-born pontiff refused to sign off on an idea that would have let Catholics log on from anywhere in the world and have a virtual audience with an artificial likeness of himself. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. "If there's anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list," Pope Leo told Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen, who has written a new biography about Leo. The pope told Allen that the proposal would have allowed Catholics to log on to a website and ask questions of an "artificial me." "This artificial intelligence pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize that'," he told Allen. In early summer, the pope, a Chicago native, warned about the dangers AI poses for children "and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development." The pope has also said that AI, if not strongly regulated, could seriously harm human dignity, justice and labor. But the pope said he's not against AI entirely. "I'm not at all against artificial intelligence," he told Allen."In the medical world, great things have happened because of AI, in other ways as well. Yet there's a danger in this because you do end up creating a fake world and then you wonder, what is the truth?"

God Mode denied: Pope says nope to AI pope

Leo XIV voices concerns about AI taking jobs - and not just his own Pope Leo XIV has crucified the idea of creating an AI version which would've allowed Catholics around the world to have a virtual audience with him - without the need for a trip to Vatican City. Despite being the first Pope to come from the United States - home of the Silicon Valley and the cult of AI - the latest Pontiff wasn't thrilled with the idea of what he described as an "artificial me." "If there's anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list," he said in an interview with Papal journalist and biographer, Elise Allen. His Holiness - talking about a subject which would've flummoxed Popes of the 20th century, let alone St. Peter all the way back in the 1st century - said he was asked to sign off on an AI Pope. He wasn't impressed with the idea. "Someone recently asked authorization to create an artificial me so that anybody could sign onto this website and have a personal audience with 'the Pope'," he said. "This artificial intelligence Pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize that'." Famously, Apple CEO Tim Cook agreed to meet with Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, in 2022. For us mere mortals, the only likely way we'd get to meet either of the cult leaders would be via a virtual version. Speaking further on the perils of AI, The Pope, like many others, has concerns over the idea of the AI taking away people's jobs - and not just his own. "If we automate the whole world and only a few people have the means with which to more than just survive, but to live well, have meaningful lives, there's a big problem, a huge problem coming down the line," he said - and revealed that concerns over AI influenced his choice of Papal name. "That was one of the issues in the back of my mind in why I chose the name Leo," he said, explaining he took inspiration from Pope Leo XIII, the 19th century Pope and author of Rerum novarum, a text which voiced concerns over the plight of workers and workers' rights during the Industrial Revolution. Nonetheless, Leo XIV was keen to stress that he isn't against technological innovation - but suggests that links joining faith, humanity and science should be maintained. "I think to lose that relationship will leave science as an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about," he said. "And the human heart will be lost in the midst of the technological development, as things are going right now." With these views, Pope Leo seems to be continuing the legacy of Pope Francis, who regularly spoke out about the dangers of AI. Francis was infamously copied and pasted onto a deepfake which switched out Papal robes for a fly puffer jacket. It went viral on social media, with many believing it to be a real photo. Unfortunately, it's unclear if the proposed virtual version of Leo would've allowed users to style up the avatar with alternative outfits. ®

Pope Horrified by Catholic Plan to Create AI Version of Him for the Masses

"It's going to be very difficult to discover the presence of God in AI." If anybody is thinking of making an AI version of the Catholic pope, please don't. That's the message from the newly-minted Holy Father himself, Pope Leo XIV, who emphatically slapped down the idea of a digital simulacra masquerading as himself. "Someone recently asked authorization to create an artificial me so that anybody could sign on to this website and have a personal audience with 'the pope,' but this artificial intelligence pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize that,'" he said. "If there's anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the pope is high on the list," he continued in an excerpt for a planned biography, according to Crux, a Catholic media outlet. Let's face it: the whole idea is perverse, especially since AI models tend to hallucinate. Imagine an AI pope suddenly going off the rails and recommending you steal your church's collection plate. (That's a sin, by the way.) Leo also slammed a deepfake of himself falling down some stairs as well as other fraudulent news ginned up by AI. The pope also called attention to how "extremely rich people" are putting loads of money into AI while "ignoring" humanity's needs. "If the Church doesn't speak up, or if someone doesn't speak up about that, but the Church certainly needs to be one of the voices here, the danger is that the digital world will go on its own way and we will become pawns, or left by the wayside," he said, hastening to add that he's not entirely against AI technology. When another excerpt of the biography was released, Pope Leo made news when he criticized the countless piles of money mercurial bad boy billionaire Elon Musk has accumulated for himself. Musk responded on the social media platform X with a Bible verse that poked at the pope. "'Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?' (Matthew 7:3-5)," he posted. Something tells us this won't be their last skirmish, especially since the stakes are so high. "It's going to be very difficult to discover the presence of God in AI," Leo said in the biography excerpt, which is a direct criticism of people like Musk who are developing AGI.

Pope Leo refuses to authorise an AI Pope and declares the technology 'an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about'

Pope Leo XIV has rejected the idea of an AI Pope, saying in an interview with biographer Eloise Allen that "if there's anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list" (first spotted by The Register). Pope Leo, who is forthright about his views on the new technology, also said that he had been asked for his authorisation to create an AI Pope. "Someone recently asked authorization to create an artificial me so that anybody could sign onto this website and have a personal audience with 'the Pope'," said the pontiff. "This artificial intelligence Pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize that'." Pope Leo has previously said that he chose the name Leo partially as a tribute to Pope Leo III, the 19th century Pope best-known for Rerum novarum, a treatise on the exploitation of the working class during the Industrial Revolution. In one of his first addresses to cardinals, Pope Leo said AI is "another Industrial Revolution." In this latest interview, the Pope returns to the theme of human rights and dignity. "If we automate the whole world and only a few people have the means with which to more than just survive, but to live well, have meaningful lives, there's a big problem, a huge problem coming down the line," said Pope Leo. The Holy Father worries about "extremely rich people who are investing in artificial intelligence" but "totally ignoring the value of human beings and of humanity." He adds: "If the Church doesn't speak up, or if someone doesn't speak up about that -- but the Church certainly needs to be one of the voices here -- the danger is that the digital world will go on its own way and we will become pawns, or left by the wayside." The Pope says he's not against progress or new technology, but basically doesn't like the way things are going: "I think to lose that relationship will leave science as an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about. And the human heart will be lost in the midst of the technological development, as things are going right now." Pope Leo is clearly up for the fight against big tech, and his remarks echo some of his previous statements: I particularly enjoyed when he called AI a threat to "human dignity, justice and labor." Heck, he even seems to like Pokemon. I'm not looking to convert anytime soon, but I'm certainly listening.