Pope Leo XIV Urges AI Leaders to "Cultivate Moral Discernment" — Calls for Justice, Solidarity and Reverence for Life

Pope Leo XIV calls on AI builders to put ethics at the center of innovation

Pope Leo XIV has urged leaders in artificial intelligence to make moral judgment a core part of their work, asking them to build systems that uphold justice, solidarity and a genuine reverence for life. The pope reiterated the message in a post on X and in remarks to attendees of the Builders AI Forum 2025.

"Technological innovation can be a form of participation in the divine act of creation. It carries an ethical and spiritual weight, for every design choice expresses a vision of humanity," Pope Leo XIV wrote on X. "The Church therefore calls all builders of #AI to cultivate moral discernment as a fundamental part of their work—to develop systems that reflect justice, solidarity, and a genuine reverence for life."

In a message to the Builders AI Forum 2025, which seeks to support AI products aligned with the Catholic Church's mission, the pope warned that AI development should not be confined to laboratories or investment portfolios.

"It must be a profoundly ecclesial endeavor. Whether designing algorithms for Catholic education, tools for compassionate healthcare, or creative platforms that tell the Christian story with truth and beauty, each participant contributes to a shared mission: to place technology at the service of evangelization and the integral development of every person," he wrote.

Pope Leo XIV — the first American elected to the papacy — has raised concerns about AI since his first address to the College of Cardinals in May, saying developments in artificial intelligence present new challenges to human dignity, justice and labor.

"In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice, and labor," he said.

The pope's statements arrive amid a global race to advance AI. Major technology companies such as Google, Microsoft and Meta are investing heavily in the field, while startups including Anthropic and OpenAI have released high-profile products like Claude and ChatGPT. Observers warn that, in the rush to innovate, safety and societal impacts — from jobs to economic stability and broader ethical risks — must not be overlooked.

By framing AI work as both an ethical and an ecclesial responsibility, Pope Leo XIV is urging developers, investors and institutions to consider how technology serves the common good and the integral development of every person.