In a world increasingly captivated by artificial intelligence, Pope Leo XIV has called for something both ancient and revolutionary: that technology be placed at the service of evangelization and the good of every person. Speaking once again on the issue of AI, this time through a message addressed to participants of the Builders AI Forum 2025 in Rome (November 6–7), the Pontiff urged developers, investors, and researchers to shape artificial intelligence with the dignity of the human person at its center.
Organized by the Pontifical Gregorian University, the forum brings together Catholic tech innovators, theologians, and entrepreneurs who share a common goal — building an interdisciplinary community dedicated to developing AI tools that advance the Church’s mission.
“Innovation,” the Pope wrote, “can be a form of participation in the divine act of creation.”
For him, technology is not neutral: It carries an ethical and spiritual weight because “every design choice expresses a vision of humanity.”
Leo XIV’s approach marks a fresh chapter in the Church’s dialogue with science. Continuing with the principles proposed under Francis, Leo views AI not as a threat, but as a profound responsibility.
“Those who create AI systems,” he said, “must cultivate moral discernment as part of their craft, ensuring that justice, solidarity, and respect for life are encoded into the very logic of their creations.”
This call echoes the Catechism’s teaching that “human work proceeds from persons created in the image of God” (CCC 2427), suggesting that technological creativity itself can be a pathway toward holiness when oriented toward love and service.
Innovate to serve
The Pope also warned against reducing the discussion of AI to technical efficiency or financial gain. For Christians, he said, developing technology should be “a deeply ecclesial commitment.”
Whether designing algorithms for Catholic education, compassionate tools for healthcare, or creative platforms that tell Christian stories with truth and beauty, every builder of AI participates in a shared mission: using innovation to serve both evangelization and human flourishing.
Since his election in May, Leo XIV has made the ethical and spiritual dimensions of technology a recurring theme. In July, at a summit in Geneva titled AI for the Common Good, he called for “ethical clarity” in regulating artificial intelligence. Later, he urged theologians to explore how faith can offer “wise responses to digital challenges,” and cautioned young people against living an isolated, screen-shaped faith.
Observers note that Leo XIV’s very name is a statement of continuity. Like his namesake Leo XIII — who confronted the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution in Rerum Novarum — the new pope seeks to guide the Church through another transformation, this time digital rather than industrial. By linking human creativity to divine purpose, he is asking not merely how machines can think, but how humanity can use its inventions to love more wisely.
