In a compelling address to global leaders at the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Pope Francis delivered a urgent plea for ethical artificial intelligence (AI) development, emphasizing that technology must serve human dignity and the common good rather than threaten it. Speaking through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pontiff warned against the rise of a "new technocratic tyranny" driven by profit or power at the expense of humanity.
The Pope’s speech struck a balance between acknowledging AI’s potential to address global crises—such as poverty, climate change, and migration—and condemning its misuse in warfare, surveillance, and social control. Quoting his 2024 encyclical Technological Progress and Human Responsibility, he declared: "Machines must assist, not judge; tools must empower, not control." He reserved sharp criticism for AI applications that erode moral accountability, including autonomous weapons, deepfake propaganda, and biased algorithms, which he termed a "betrayal of our humanity."
Highlighting AI’s role in distorting truth and democracy, Francis called AI-generated disinformation a "poison for civic trust" and urged tech companies to transparently label synthetic content. He also condemned practices that reduce workers to mere "data points" or perpetuate systemic inequality, stressing: "True progress cannot exclude the marginalized."
To counter these risks, the Pope proposed a three-pronged global framework: (1) binding international treaties to ban lethal autonomous weapons and safeguard data privacy; (2) mandatory ethical reviews for AI developers, modeled on environmental impact assessments; and (3) grassroots education initiatives, including the Vatican’s 2026 Digital Humanism program, to empower public oversight of technology.
The address aligns with the Vatican’s broader campaign to shape tech ethics, such as its 2024 collaboration with MIT and the European Union on the Rome Charter for AI Ethics, which advocates embedding human rights into AI design. Francis also referenced ongoing conflicts, including AI’s role in Ukraine’s refugee crisis, urging leaders to replace "cold algorithms with compassion."
As debates over ChatGPT-7 and quantum computing dominated Davos, Pope Francis positioned the Church as a moral compass in the digital age. His closing warning resonated deeply: "Without wisdom, power is perilous—and without conscience, technology is a ticking time bomb."
The speech reinforces his call for a world where innovation serves solidarity, not supremacy, challenging CEOs and policymakers to ensure AI remains a force for unity in an increasingly fragmented world.