Pope Leo XIV has warned believers, especially men, to avoid forming emotional relationships with chatbots and artificial intelligence applications, stressing that these virtual connections can have serious emotional, social and cultural consequences.
In his message for World Communications Day, the Pope said that in today's digital reality it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish whether communication is with real people or artificial systems. He stressed the urgent need to preserve authentic human relationships, underlining that without real contact there can be no true friendships or connections.
"Faces and voices are sacred," declared Pope Leo XIV, warning that digital technology, if used without criteria, risks changing the foundations of human civilization.
The head of the Catholic Church acknowledged that artificial intelligence chatbots may seem fun, but described them as potentially deceptive, especially for the most vulnerable individuals. According to him, the fact that these systems are always available and appear emotionally “caring” can negatively affect people’s emotional state and invade the sphere of personal privacy.
The Pope also warned that replacing human relationships with artificial intelligence could damage not only the personal lives of individuals but also the social, cultural and political fabric of society. He also criticized social media algorithms, which he said encourage rapid emotional reactions and weaken critical thinking, increasing social polarization.
However, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that technological development should not be stopped, but should be guided with responsibility and awareness, given the dual nature of digital innovation.
The warning follows previous Vatican statements on the dangers of artificial intelligence. In 2024, Pope Francis declared that simulation technologies become dangerous when they distort human relationships with reality and with each other, calling for stronger regulation to avoid the harmful and discriminatory consequences of AI.
