Pope Leo XIV urged a gathering of social media users to use artificial intelligence for the good of people rather than fall victim to its dangers, striking a more optimistic tone than the fiery and somber speeches of recent years favored by his predecessor Francis.
The first American pope received a rapturous reception during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday, posing for selfies to the roar of the crowd as hundreds held their phones above their heads to capture him.
Speaking in a mix of English, Spanish and Italian, he warned the gathering to reject the “frivolity” of fake news and online dating, urging young people not to “count their followers” but instead to “work as agents of communion.”
“It is not simply a matter of generating content, but of creating a meeting of hearts. We must work together to develop a way of thinking, to develop a language of our time that gives voice to love,” Pope Leo XIV said.
Luis Antonio Tagle, the distinguished Filipino cardinal who presided over the service, stressed that every person is influential in the eyes of God.
The rare meeting is part of a jubilee for young people that will culminate in a vigil and Mass in a field on the outskirts of Rome. The biggest event of the Vatican’s Holy Year, the week-long celebration is expected to attract half a million young people, who are likely to strain the Eternal City’s creaking public transportation system to the limit.
Pope Leo XIV’s words contrasted with those of Francis, who in January, three months before his death, approved the publication of a 13,000-word document that argued that artificial intelligence contained “the shadow of evil” and could “enslave” workers by confining them to “rigid and repetitive tasks.”
However, Leo’s address also contained a warning: “Nothing that comes from man and his creativity must be used to undermine the dignity of others,” he said.
At the end of the liturgy, the pope called for an end to global conflicts, saying “how much we need peace in these times torn apart by enmity and war.”
