Pope Francis: Message to Paris AI Summit
On Action for Artificial Intelligence and the Common Good
I. Introduction: Wisdom Ancient and New
§1. With wisdom both ancient and new (cf. Mt. 13:52), we are called to reflect on the current challenges and opportunities posed by scientific and technological advancements, particularly by the recent development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Christian tradition regards the gift of intelligence as an essential aspect of how humans are created "in the image of God" (Gen. 1:27).
§2. The Church encourages the advancement of science, technology, the arts, and other forms of human endeavor, viewing them as part of the "collaboration of man and woman with God in perfecting the visible creation." Human abilities and creativity come from God and, when used rightly, glorify God by reflecting his wisdom and goodness.
Key Teaching
"Technological progress is part of God's plan for creation, but people must take responsibility for using technologies like artificial intelligence to help humanity and not harm individuals or groups."
§4. There is broad consensus that AI marks a new and significant phase in humanity's engagement with technology, placing it at the heart of what Pope Francis has described as an "epochal change." Its impact is felt globally and in a wide range of areas, including interpersonal relationships, education, work, art, healthcare, law, warfare, and international relations.
II. What is Artificial Intelligence?
§7. The concept of "intelligence" in AI has evolved over time, drawing on a range of ideas from various disciplines. A significant milestone occurred in 1956 when John McCarthy defined Artificial Intelligence as "that of making a machine behave in ways that would be called intelligent if a human were so behaving."
§8. Since then, AI research has advanced rapidly, leading to the development of complex systems capable of performing highly sophisticated tasks. These "narrow AI" systems are typically designed to handle specific and limited functions, such as translating languages, predicting weather, classifying images, or generating visual content.
Critical Distinction
§12. AI's advanced features give it sophisticated abilities to perform tasks, but not the ability to think. This distinction is crucially important, as the way "intelligence" is defined inevitably shapes how we understand the relationship between human thought and this technology.
§35. As Pope Francis observes, "the very use of the word 'intelligence'" in connection with AI "can prove misleading" and risks overlooking what is most precious in the human person. AI should not be seen as an artificial form of human intelligence but as a product of it.
III. Intelligence in the Philosophical and Theological Tradition
Rationality
§13. From the dawn of human self-reflection, the mind has played a central role in understanding what it means to be "human." Aristotle observed that "all people by nature desire to know." This knowledge, with its capacity for abstraction that grasps the nature and meaning of things, sets humans apart from the animal world.
Embodiment
§16. Christian thought considers the intellectual faculties of the human person within the framework of an integral anthropology that views the human being as essentially embodied. The entire human person is simultaneously both material and spiritual.
Relationality
§18. Human beings are "ordered by their very nature to interpersonal communion," possessing the capacity to know one another, to give themselves in love, and to enter into communion with others. Human intelligence is not an isolated faculty but is exercised in relationships.
An Integral Understanding of Human Intelligence
§29. A proper understanding of human intelligence cannot be reduced to the mere acquisition of facts or the ability to perform specific tasks. Instead, it involves the person's openness to the ultimate questions of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good.
Essential Teaching on Intelligence
"True intelligence is shaped by divine love, which 'is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit' (Rom. 5:5). Human intelligence possesses an essential contemplative dimension, an unselfish openness to the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, beyond any utilitarian purpose." (§29)
The Limits of AI
§30-34. While AI can perform sophisticated tasks, it remains fundamentally confined to a logical-mathematical framework. Human intelligence, in contrast:
- Develops organically through physical and psychological growth
- Is shaped by embodied experiences and social interactions
- Can exercise moral discernment and establish authentic relationships
- Possesses the capacity for surprising insights and wisdom from experience
- Grasps reality in all its dimensions, not just what is measurable
§34. "Drawing an overly close equivalence between human intelligence and AI risks succumbing to a functionalist perspective, where people are valued based on the work they can perform. However, a person's worth does not depend on possessing specific skills but on the person's inherent dignity, grounded in being created in the image of God."
IV. The Role of Ethics in Guiding AI Development and Use
§38. We can gratefully acknowledge how technology has "remedied countless evils which used to harm and limit human beings." Nevertheless, not all technological advancements in themselves represent genuine human progress. The Church is particularly opposed to those applications that threaten the sanctity of life or the dignity of the human person.
Moral Responsibility
§39. "Between a machine and a human being, only the latter is truly a moral agent—a subject of moral responsibility who exercises freedom in his or her decisions and accepts their consequences. Only the human can be sufficiently self-aware to the point of listening and following the voice of conscience, discerning with prudence, and seeking the good that is possible in every situation."
§42. The ends and the means used in a given application of AI, as well as the overall vision it incorporates, must all be evaluated to ensure they respect human dignity and promote the common good.
Helping Human Freedom and Decision-Making
§44. Since full moral causality belongs only to personal agents, not artificial ones, it is crucial to be able to identify and define who bears responsibility for the processes involved in AI. Ultimate responsibility for decisions made using AI must rest with human decision-makers.
§46. Those who use AI to accomplish a task create a context in which they are ultimately responsible for the power they have delegated. Algorithms that govern AI should be trustworthy, secure, robust, transparent, and designed to mitigate biases.
V. Specific Questions
AI and Society
§51. AI could "introduce important innovations in agriculture, education and culture, an improved level of life for entire nations and peoples, and the growth of human fraternity and social friendship," and thus be "used to promote integral human development."
§52. However, Pope Francis has noted that "evidence to date suggests that digital technologies have increased inequality in our world. Not just differences in material wealth, but also differences in access to political and social influence." AI could perpetuate marginalization, create new forms of poverty, and worsen social inequalities.
§53. The concentration of power over mainstream AI applications in the hands of a few powerful companies raises significant ethical concerns. Such entities possess the capacity to exercise "forms of control as subtle as they are invasive, creating mechanisms for the manipulation of consciences and of the democratic process."
AI and Human Relationships
§58. Authentic human relationships require the richness of being with others in their pain, their pleas, and their joy. Since human intelligence is expressed and enriched also in interpersonal and embodied ways, authentic and spontaneous encounters with others are indispensable for engaging with reality in its fullness.
§61. No AI application can genuinely experience empathy. Emotions cannot be reduced to facial expressions or phrases generated in response to prompts. True empathy requires the ability to listen, recognize another's irreducible uniqueness, and grasp the meaning behind even their silences.
§62. Misrepresenting AI as a person should always be avoided; doing so for fraudulent purposes is a grave ethical violation that could erode social trust. Using AI to deceive in education or human relationships, including sexuality, is immoral.
AI, the Economy, and Labor
§67. While AI promises to boost productivity, it frequently forces workers to adapt to the speed and demands of machines rather than machines being designed to support those who work. Current approaches can paradoxically deskill workers, subject them to automated surveillance, and relegate them to rigid and repetitive tasks.
The Dignity of Work
§69. "The order of things must be subordinate to the order of persons, and not the other way around. Human work must not only be at the service of profit but at the service of the whole human person, taking into account the person's material needs and the requirements of his or her intellectual, moral, spiritual, and religious life."
§70. Since work is "part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment," the goal should not be that technological progress increasingly replaces human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity—rather, it should promote human labor.
AI and Healthcare
§72. AI seems to hold immense potential in medical applications, such as assisting diagnostic work, facilitating patient-staff relationships, offering new treatments, and expanding access to quality care for isolated or marginalized populations.
§73. However, if AI is used not to enhance but to replace the relationship between patients and healthcare providers—leaving patients to interact with a machine rather than a human being—it would reduce a crucially important human relational structure. This would risk worsening the loneliness that often accompanies illness.
§74. "Decisions regarding patient treatment and the weight of responsibility they entail must always remain with the human person and should never be delegated to AI."
§75. Using AI to determine who should receive treatment based predominantly on economic measures or metrics of efficiency represents a particularly problematic instance of the "technocratic paradigm" that must be rejected.
AI and Education
§79. At the center of education is the indispensable relationship between teacher and student. Teachers do more than convey knowledge; they model essential human qualities and inspire the joy of discovery. Their presence motivates students through both content and care. The physical presence of a teacher creates a relational dynamic that AI cannot replicate.
§81. The extensive use of AI in education could lead to students' increased reliance on technology, eroding their ability to perform skills independently and worsening their dependence on screens.
§82. "Instead of training young people how to amass information and generate quick responses, education should encourage the responsible use of freedom to face issues with good sense and intelligence. Education in the use of AI should aim above all at promoting critical thinking."
AI, Misinformation, Deepfakes, and Abuse
§86. AI presents a serious risk of generating manipulated content and false information. Such misinformation might occur unintentionally through AI "hallucination," where generative AI yields results that appear real but are not.
§87. An even more troubling problem lies in the deliberate misuse of AI for manipulation through "deepfake" images, videos, and audio. The danger is particularly evident when used to target or harm others. While the images may be artificial, the damage they cause is real, leaving "deep scars in the hearts of those who suffer it."
§88. By distorting "our relationship with others and with reality," AI-generated fake media can gradually undermine the foundations of society. When society becomes indifferent to truth, various groups construct their own versions of "facts," weakening the reciprocal ties that underpin social life.
AI, Privacy, and Surveillance
§91. The Second Vatican Council included the right "to safeguard privacy" among the fundamental rights "necessary for living a genuinely human life," a right that should be extended to all people on account of their "sublime dignity."
§93. While there can be legitimate uses of AI for surveillance, using it for surveillance aimed at exploiting others, restricting freedom, or benefitting a few at the expense of many is unjustifiable. The risk of surveillance overreach must be monitored to ensure transparency and public accountability.
§94. "Fundamental respect for human dignity demands that we refuse to allow the uniqueness of the person to be identified with a set of data. A person's past behavior should not be used to deny him or her the opportunity to change, grow, and contribute to society. We cannot allow algorithms to limit respect for human dignity, or to exclude compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and hope that people can change."
AI and the Protection of Our Common Home
§96. Current AI models and the hardware required to support them consume vast amounts of energy and water, significantly contributing to CO₂ emissions and straining resources. Words like "the cloud" can give the false impression that data is stored in an intangible realm, detached from the physical world—but AI relies on physical machines, cables, and energy.
§97. A complete understanding of creation recognizes that the value of all created things cannot be reduced to their mere utility. A fully human approach to earth's stewardship rejects the technocratic paradigm and the "myth of progress" that assumes ecological problems will solve themselves through new technology without ethical considerations.
AI and Warfare
§99. While AI's analytical abilities could help nations seek peace, the "weaponization of Artificial Intelligence" is highly problematic. The ability to conduct military operations through remote control systems has led to a lessened perception of the devastation caused and burden of responsibility.
Critical Teaching on Autonomous Weapons
§100. "Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, which are capable of identifying and striking targets without direct human intervention, are a cause for grave ethical concern because they lack the unique human capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making."
§100. Pope Francis has urgently called for a reconsideration of the development of these weapons and a prohibition on their use: "No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being."
§102. Like any tool, AI is an extension of human power, and while its future capabilities are unpredictable, humanity's past actions provide clear warnings. The atrocities committed throughout history are enough to raise deep concerns about the potential abuses of AI.
AI and Our Relationship with God
§104. As society drifts away from connection with the transcendent, some are tempted to turn to AI in search of meaning or fulfillment—longings that can only be truly satisfied in communion with God.
§105. The presumption of substituting God for an artifact of human making is idolatry. AI may prove even more seductive than traditional idols because unlike idols that "have mouths but do not speak," AI can speak—or at least gives the illusion of doing so. Yet it is vital to remember that AI is but a pale reflection of humanity, crafted by human minds and sustained through human labor.
§107. In contrast to AI, human beings "by their interior life, transcend the entire material universe; they experience this deep interiority when they enter into their own heart, where God awaits them, and where they decide their own destiny in the sight of God."
VI. Concluding Reflections: True Wisdom
§108. Pope Francis emphasized the need for growth in "human responsibility, values, and conscience," proportionate to the growth in technological potential—recognizing that "with an increase in human power comes a broadening of responsibility on the part of individuals and communities."
§112. A further point is the call for renewed appreciation of all that is human. The rapid pace of digitization risks a "digital reductionism," where non-quantifiable aspects of life are set aside. AI should be used only as a tool to complement human intelligence rather than replace its richness.
True Wisdom
§114. "Only by adopting a spiritual way of viewing reality, only by recovering a wisdom of the heart, can we confront and interpret the newness of our time. This wisdom cannot be sought from machines, but it lets itself be found by those who seek it and be seen by those who love it."
§116. Since "a person's perfection is measured not by the information or knowledge they possess, but by the depth of their charity," how we incorporate AI "to include the least of our brothers and sisters, the vulnerable, and those most in need, will be the true measure of our humanity."
The Document's Final Call
§117. From the perspective of wisdom, believers will be able to act as moral agents capable of using this technology to promote an authentic vision of the human person and society. This should be done with the understanding that technological progress is part of God's plan for creation—an activity that we are called to order toward the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, in the continual search for the True and the Good.
📖 About This Document
Signed by:
- Víctor Manuel Card. Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
- José Card. Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education
- Msgr. Armando Matteo, Secretary, Doctrinal Section
- Most Rev. Paul Tighe, Secretary, Culture Section
Approved by: Pope Francis, January 14, 2025
Released: January 28, 2025 (Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas)
Official Source: Read the complete document at Vatican.va