Pope Leo XIV refuses AI clone, says automation will destroy work and dignity

Pope Leo XIV shot down a plan to create an artificial intelligence (AI) version of himself that would conduct virtual audiences, citing deep concerns about technology replacing human work and dignity in what he sees as a modern parallel to the Industrial Revolution.

The American-born pontiff revealed his decision during a July 30 interview at his Vatican residence. Someone had requested permission to create an artificial pope that would answer questions on a website.

“I’m not going to authorize that,” Leo told Crux senior correspondent Elise Allen in an interview published September 18. “If there’s anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list.”

Leo sees a crisis coming. He believes AI will wipe out jobs the same way factories crushed traditional work during the Industrial Revolution, a historical parallel that shaped his papal name choice.

“That was one of the issues in the back of my mind in why I chose the name Leo,” he said. Leo XIII wrote the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed labor rights as factories replaced traditional work.

Today’s threat looks worse for the pope, who pictures a world where machines do everything while a tiny elite enjoys comfort and purpose.

“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,” Leo said.

Work provides human dignity, according to the pontiff. People need the ability to produce something valuable and earn a living through their gifts.

Beyond employment concerns, Leo worried an AI pope would create a “fake world” that obscures truth. He argued that human life gains meaning through real encounters and relationships where people discover God’s presence.

His interview surfaced just as religious AI apps are reportedly exploding in popularity. These chatbots tell users what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. Companies store intimate confessions on corporate servers, charging up to $70 yearly for premium features.

The pope acknowledged AI benefits in fields like medicine. He stressed the church doesn’t oppose technological advances but insists on maintaining connections between faith and science.

“I think to lose that relationship will leave science as an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about,” Leo warned. “And the human heart will be lost in the midst of the technological development, as things are going right now.”

His comments came after tech billionaire Elon Musk criticized the pope on the social media platform X. Musk quoted Matthew 7:3-5 about seeing specks in others’ eyes while ignoring logs in one’s own, responding to Leo’s criticism of wealth accumulation in AI development.

The pope’s biography “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century” contains the full interview with Allen.