The world today finds itself standing at a crossroads where the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence [AI] is reshaping every dimension of human life. From education and healthcare to communication and governance, AI offers extraordinary promise. Yet, as the Catholic Church has recently observed, this same technology carries profound risks for truth, dignity, and peace if left unchecked.
Pope Leo XIV, addressing millions of young people during the Jubilee event at Tor Vergata, placed the digital revolution at the very heart of his message. He reminds us that while digital innovation can unite humanity—bridging continents and cultures—it also poses profound risks to truth, dignity, and peace. On the one hand, digital innovation has the power to unite humanity, one the other it threatens to erode human relationships, destabilise societies, and cloud our grasp of truth. These challenges are already visible in our media landscape, where ambiguity and polarisation thrive on the Internet and social networks.
A recent example illustrates the dangers. A fabricated, AI-generated video circulated online showed former US president, Barack Obama, being arrested and humiliated. Originating from Donald Trump’s own platform, this piece of disinformation epitomises the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence when misused. Such fabrications not only damage reputations but also weaken public trust in democratic institutions. They sow division, degrade discourse, and corrode the very fabric of community life.
AI’s reach, however, extends well beyond media manipulation. In matters of state security and governance, it provides undeniable advantages — from automating complex processes to processing vast amounts of data with unprecedented speed. Yet these same capacities can be weaponised for fraud, cybercrime, and surveillance abuses. More subtly, AI systems often inherit and amplify human biases, with damaging consequences for the vulnerable and marginalised.
The Church recognises efforts underway to regulate AI and foster trust. Still, as the Church has cautioned, legal frameworks remain incomplete. Without robust safeguards, AI could evolve faster than our ability to guide or restrain it, with potentially devastating effects on fundamental rights and human dignity. Humanity therefore stands, as the pope put it, at a “crossroads.” One path envisions AI revolutionising human endeavour for the common good.
The way forward, Pope Leo insists, is not merely technical but deeply moral and spiritual. Technology must be managed with coordination—locally and globally—ensuring ethical responsibility takes precedence over profit or efficiency. Developers, policymakers, and ordinary users alike share this burden. At its core, the Church reminds us that technological progress must always serve what St. Augustine called the “tranquillity of order”: the building of a more humane society, integral human development, and the good of the entire human family.
For members of the Church, the mission is clear. We are called to approach this new frontier with caution and hope through a “coordinated management” of AI. This means everyone—developers, leaders, educators, and ordinary users—has a role to play. For us in the Church, it is also a call to discernment, supporting our young people to use technology wisely, not as a substitute for genuine relationships. jose CMF
