Quote of the day by Pope Leo XIV: ‘In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty…’ – Pope urges to protect what machines can never replace

Artificial intelligence can write, create images, analyse enormous amounts of information and increasingly perform tasks once associated exclusively with human workers. But as machines become more capable, a deeper question is emerging: what happens to the qualities that make human beings different from the tools they create?

Pope Leo XIV addressed that question directly in his 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, warning that the rapid development of artificial intelligence must not come at the expense of human dignity. His message is not simply about regulating technology. It is about deciding what should remain uniquely human in a world increasingly shaped by machines.

Pope Leo XIV and his journey to the Vatican

Born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Leo XIV grew up in a family with strong ties to education and parish life. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, was a teacher and school principal, while his mother, Mildred Agnes Martínez, worked as a librarian. He has two brothers.

Before entering religious life, Prevost studied mathematics and philosophy at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. He entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and made his first profession the following year. He was ordained a priest in 1982.

His religious career took him to Peru, where he spent many years as a missionary and later served in leadership roles within the Augustinian order. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, and he was subsequently ordained a bishop. He later became bishop of Chiclayo and held senior positions within the Augustinian order.

In January 2023, Pope Francis appointed Prevost prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, placing him in charge of a Vatican office involved in the selection of bishops around the world. He was made a cardinal in September 2023.

The first American pope chose the name Leo XIV

On May 8, 2025, after the death of Pope Francis, Cardinal Prevost was elected the 267th pope and chose the name Leo XIV. He became the first pope from the United States and the first Augustinian pope in the history of the Catholic Church.

His choice of name offered an early indication of one issue he intended to address. In his first formal address to the College of Cardinals, Leo explained that Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum had responded to the social upheaval created by the Industrial Revolution. Leo XIV said the Church now needed to respond to what he described as another industrial revolution and to the development of artificial intelligence.

Pope Leo XIV’s quote of the day

“In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace.”

The quotation appears in Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, signed on May 15, 2026. The document is devoted to safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.

What Pope means by the quote

At the heart of the quotation is a distinction between artificial intelligence and human intelligence. Pope argues that AI systems can imitate certain functions associated with human intelligence and can exceed people in speed and computational capacity. But he stresses that machines do not have human experiences: they do not have bodies, experience pain or joy, mature through relationships or understand from within what love, friendship, work and responsibility mean.

That distinction gives the quote its larger meaning. For Leo, being human is not simply about processing information quickly or producing an answer. Human dignity involves conscience, freedom, relationships, moral responsibility and the capacity to recognise another person as a person.

The concern, therefore, is not merely that machines might become more powerful. It is that people might gradually begin measuring human worth according to machine-like qualities such as productivity, efficiency or computational ability.

Leo argues that important decisions affecting people's lives should not simply be handed over to automated systems. In Magnifica Humanitas, he warns that algorithms can reproduce biases and that opaque systems can make it difficult to determine who is responsible when an automated decision causes harm.

His message is consequently less about choosing humans or technology and more about determining who controls technology and what values guide its use.

More quotes by Pope Leo XIV

“Artificial intelligence functions as a tool for the good of human beings, not to diminish them, not to replace them.”

“Our dignity lies in our ability to reflect, choose freely, love unconditionally and enter into authentic relationships with others.”

“We are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour.”