Pope Leo XIV disclosed that the inspiration for his papal name partly stems from facing the forthcoming challenges posed by the rise of artificial intelligence in the world.
In his inaugural formal address as the Vatican’s newly appointed pope on Saturday, Leo shared with the College of Cardinals that his choice of name was influenced by Pope Leo XIII, who guided the Catholic Church from 1878 until his passing in 1903. During his tenure, Leo XIII was committed to addressing social issues and workers’ rights in the aftermath of the transformative Industrial Revolution.
While he acknowledged multiple reasons behind his name selection, Leo XIV notably emphasized Leo XIII’s groundbreaking encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” or “Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor,” which established a cornerstone for contemporary Catholic social teachings.
Issued in 1891, the open letter emphasized that “some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.”
“In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labour,” Leo XIV, previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, said in his address on Saturday, according to a transcript.
Much like the Industrial Revolution, the acceleration of generative AI in recent years has already transformed the world and raised a flurry of concerns over how these new technologies will impact human labor. AI, still unregulated in much of the world, has given rise to misinformation (including by using stolen human likenesses) as well as conflicts over intellectual property and job displacement.
Francis himself was the subject of AI disinformation in 2023 when an AI-generated image depicting him wearing a trendy puffer jacket went viral online — one of the first widespread incidents showcasing the potential of AI to mislead and misinform.
In a warning issued by Francis early last year, the pope addressed the potential of AI to push out “partially or completely false narratives,” further cement “echo chambers” and create “new castes based on access to information and thus giving rise to new forms of exploitation and inequality.”
Leo, the first pontiff born in the U.S., indicated in his Saturday address that he aims to continue furthering the work of Francis, who was known for his commitment to social justice.
“It has been clearly seen in the example of so many of my Predecessors, and most recently by Pope Francis himself, with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house,” the transcript said. “Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.”
