Pope Leon XIV has voiced his disapproval of the proposal to create a virtual pope powered by artificial intelligence.
While the pontiff acknowledges that AI has many benefits, he believes it would be inappropriate to use it to create a digital version of himself for the faithful to consult remotely.
“If there is anyone who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the pope is at the top of the list,” he told journalist Elise Allen in an interview.
For Pope Leon XIV, human relationships remain one of the cornerstones of religion, and he warned that an AI-generated avatar of himself could end up giving the faithful misleading or harmful advice. The Vatican leader also stressed the risks associated with AI, particularly the spread of deepfakes online.
That said, the pope made clear that he is not opposed to AI as a whole. “I am absolutely not against artificial intelligence. In the medical field, great things have already been achieved thanks to AI, and in other areas too.“
