The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-25 · by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
Story summary
Pope Leo XIV Warns of AI Threat During France Visit
On September 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV warned during his visit to Paris that artificial intelligence (AI), which he referred to as a "paradise of machines," could undermine humanity by posing fundamental questions about what it means to be human. The pontiff raised these concerns in an opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and diplomats at the Élysée Palace, followed by remarks to United Nations employees at UNESCO headquarters.
Pope Leo emphasized the need for ethical discernment as AI rapidly evolves: "If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment." The speech highlighted growing fears within religious circles about the unchecked advancement of technology and its potential impact on human values.
The pope also reaffirmed the Vatican's stance against nuclear weapons, calling the deterrence doctrine "mistaken" as it fuels new arms races. He stressed that peace must be built through dialogue and justice rather than power balances.
Pope Leo's visit comes amid debates over assisted dying and other ethical issues in France, where secularism is strictly enforced according to constitutional principles. Despite this, more than a million people are expected to turn out during his four-day stay, underscoring the significance of his message and presence.
Church bells tolled across Paris as Pope Leo's charter flight landed at Orly Airport, marking the start of what promises to be an impactful visit addressing critical global issues.
Written for “Pope Warns AI Threat” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
Pope Leo has warned against losing humanity in a “paradise of machines” as he addressed global concerns over the dangers of artificial intelligence at the start of a three-day visit to France.
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he → warn → France
“If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for people to be educated in ethical discernment, capable of seeing what is morally right,” he said in a speech at the Elysée.
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he → avoid → Elysée
At a second address on Friday, the 71-year-old head of the Catholic church insisted that new technologies must “remain at the service of the human person rather than becoming yet another instrument of domination and injustice” in remarks to a gathering at the Paris headquarters of the UN culture and education body, Unesco.
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technologies → insist → body
“Every science risks losing its proper meaning when pursued without ethics,” he said.
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he → risk → ethics
“Certain artificial systems have even been given the name of our human faculty of thought: intelligence.
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systems → give → thought
At the same time, however, our ideas and relationships risk being impoverished by a process of dehumanisation.”
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ideas → risk → dehumanisation
He added: “While intelligence is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognise the inalienable dignity of human persons whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and when deemed no longer productive, rejected and discarded.”
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lives → add → efficiency
Leo also criticised world leaders who disrespect the rule of law, without naming individuals.
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who → criticise → individuals
“Instead of respecting the law, those in power invoke it when it serves their interests and disregard it when it restrains them, treating even justice itself as though it were a commodity to be bought and sold,” he said.
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he → respect → justice
Leo, who became pope in 2025, has been critical of the direction of global leadership in recent months.
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who → become → months
He said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants” last April.
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world → say → tyrants
The first official papal visit to France in 18 years comes as Emmanuel Macron’s decade in office draws to an end ahead of next spring’s French presidential election, for which the far-right, anti-immigration Marine Le Pen is polling high.
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Pen → come → which
Pope Francis did not make a full state visit to France during his 12-year pontificate and refused to join the inauguration of the rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral in 2024.
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Francis → make → 2024
After France passed legislation in June granting some adult patients the right to assisted dying, the pontiff said he was concerned by trends “that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death.”
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that → pass → death
A key moment of the three-day visit will be a giant outdoor mass on Saturday, led by the pontiff at Place de la Concorde.
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moment → lead → Concorde
The pope, whose paternal grandmother was born in France, on Friday urged Paris to remain a “tireless champion of peace” worldwide.
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grandmother → bear → peace
On Monday, he will deliver a speech on European peace in the eastern city of Metz as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues into its fifth year.
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invasion → deliver → year
Leo called on the world not to become indifferent to the pain caused by “the scourge of war”.
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Leo → call → war
He told Macron and other French politicians: “I urge you '… never to grow resigned to the prospect of war or to consider it ‘inevitable’.”
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it → tell → war
Leo will also visit Lourdes, a pilgrimage site for Christians worldwide, where he will privately meet seven victims of clerical sex abuse.
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he → visit → abuse
After some survivors’ groups suggested a larger number of survivors should have been canvassed, the Catholic church said the pontiff was seeking in-depth dialogue with individuals.
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pontiff → suggest → individuals
France’s Catholic bishops’ conference has agreed to provide compensation after a 2021 report estimated 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church-related figures in France.
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children → agree → France
The report described a “systemic” cover-up by church officials.
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report → describe → officials
In recent years, further accusations have emerged, including against workers at the elite Catholic boarding school, Bétharram, near Lourdes.
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accusations → emerge → Lourdes
On his flight to Paris, Pope Leo told reporters they were welcome to cover him, as he responded to the Trump administration’s attempt to bar US media from the White House and affirmed the importance of journalists covering public figures.
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journalists → tell → figures
Asked by a CNN reporter about Donald Trump’s attempt to bar CNN and other reporters, Leo said the media were welcome on his plane.
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media → ask → plane
“I am very happy that here, you are all welcome,” he said.
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he → say → ?
The Aporia
