On Friday at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, Pope XIV. Leó urged the international community to take special measures to protect children and young people from the effects of artificial intelligence and emerging digital technologies. He said these technologies should support young people’s development and education while preserving "the freedom of their thinking and judgement."
In his address, the pope again called for finding the "meaning" and "ethical foundation" of AI, echoing arguments he set out in his first encyclical published in May, titled Magnifica Humanitas. He noted that although some artificial systems are named after human cognitive capacities—"intelligence"—they cannot answer questions about the meaning of human life that arise from lived experience.
The pope warned that without a shared ethical basis, the multiplication of communication channels carries the risk of spreading false information and meaningless rhetoric, which hinders rather than fosters dialogue. He argued that artificial intelligence amplifies precisely these problems and poses a risk of the dehumanisation of our thoughts and relationships.
"A human being cannot live without meaning. The meaning of life is the oxygen of the soul," the pope said, stressing that human questions of meaning are not solvable by data analysis alone.
Highlighting UNESCO’s role as "a place where humanity reflects on itself, its history and its future," the pope encouraged the international community to pay particular attention to protecting children and young people. His remarks were delivered before representatives of UNESCO’s 194 member states.
Haled el-Anani, UNESCO’s Egyptian Director-General, who delivered a welcoming speech, said he believes UNESCO is an ideal platform for regulatory and ethical thinking about artificial intelligence. El-Anani argued the organisation can enable understanding and capacity-building and help ensure that AI becomes a tool for emancipation and the future. He also recalled that UNESCO adopted a forward-looking text in 2021 known as the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.
The pope’s address and the director-general’s comments focus on how to reconcile the benefits of new technologies with respect for human dignity, freedom of thought and the protection of young people. The emphasis was on establishing shared ethical foundations and safeguarding youth so that digital progress does not endanger personal and communal values.
Key facts
- When and where: the pope spoke on Friday at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters.
- Audience: representatives of UNESCO’s 194 member states attended the address.
- Encyclical: the pope referenced his May encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.
- UNESCO framework: UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in 2021.
- Central issues: the absence of shared ethical foundations, the multiplication of information channels, the spread of misinformation, and threats to freedom of thought.
Tags: artificial intelligence, UNESCO, child protection, ethics, Magnifica Humanitas, XIV. Leó, Haled el-Anani
