Pope Leo XIV has crucified the idea of creating an AI version which would've allowed Catholics around the world to have a virtual audience with him – without the need for a trip to Vatican City.
Despite being the first Pope to come from the United States – home of the Silicon Valley and the cult of AI – the latest Pontiff wasn't thrilled with the idea of what he described as an "artificial me."
"If there's anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list," he said in an interview with Papal journalist and biographer, Elise Allen.
His Holiness – talking about a subject which would've flummoxed Popes of the 20th century, let alone St. Peter all the way back in the 1st century – said he was asked to sign off on an AI Pope. He wasn't impressed with the idea.
"Someone recently asked authorization to create an artificial me so that anybody could sign onto this website and have a personal audience with 'the Pope'," he said.
"This artificial intelligence Pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize that'."
Famously, Apple CEO Tim Cook agreed to meet with Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, in 2022. For us mere mortals, the only likely way we'd get to meet either of the cult leaders would be via a virtual version.
Speaking further on the perils of AI, The Pope, like many others, has concerns over the idea of the AI taking away people's jobs – and not just his own.
"If we automate the whole world and only a few people have the means with which to more than just survive, but to live well, have meaningful lives, there's a big problem, a huge problem coming down the line," he said - and revealed that concerns over AI influenced his choice of Papal name.
"That was one of the issues in the back of my mind in why I chose the name Leo," he said, explaining he took inspiration from Pope Leo XIII, the 19th century Pope and author of Rerum novarum, a text which voiced concerns over the plight of workers and workers' rights during the Industrial Revolution.
Nonetheless, Leo XIV was keen to stress that he isn't against technological innovation – but suggests that links joining faith, humanity and science should be maintained.
"I think to lose that relationship will leave science as an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about," he said. "And the human heart will be lost in the midst of the technological development, as things are going right now."
With these views, Pope Leo seems to be continuing the legacy of Pope Francis, who regularly spoke out about the dangers of AI. Francis was infamously copied and pasted onto a deepfake which switched out Papal robes for a fly puffer jacket. It went viral on social media, with many believing it to be a real photo.
Unfortunately, it's unclear if the proposed virtual version of Leo would've allowed users to style up the avatar with alternative outfits. ®
Source: The register