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Pope Leo XIV Warns ‘Affectionate’ AI Chatbots Threaten Human Bonds

He urges regulation, transparency, education to safeguard identity and information integrity.

Overview

  • In a Jan. 24 message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications, Pope Leo XIV frames rapid advances in AI as an anthropological challenge to human identity and authentic relationships.
  • He cautions that systems simulating faces, voices and emotions make it harder to distinguish reality from fabrication and can shape public debate and personal choices.
  • The pope warns that overly affectionate chatbots risk becoming hidden architects of emotions and calls for guardrails to prevent unhealthy attachments and reduce manipulative or misleading content.
  • He presses for clear labeling of AI‑generated material and protection of journalists’ and creators’ authorship and ownership.
  • Raising concerns about AI power concentrated in a handful of companies, he emphasizes broad education and cross‑sector cooperation, with the May 17 observance set to spotlight these priorities.