Pope Francis Was Really Worried About AI

Pope Francis may have been one of the most forward-thinking leaders the Catholic Church has seen — but even he had serious concerns about the tech takeover. His final prayer, shared online in April before his passing at 88, focused not on confession or conversion, but on the rise of technology. His plea? That it “unite, not divide” us.

Yes, the Pope was worried about AI — and no, not just because it once turned him into a hypebeast. In 2023, an AI-generated image of the Pontiff strutting through the Vatican in a Moncler puffer and dripping crucifix went viral. Many genuinely thought he’d swapped robes for runway. While he embraced tech to share messages of peace (and even joined social media), he never lost sight of its darker sides.

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Image courtesy of Wikipedia

In his final video message, posted to his official YouTube channel, Francis asked us to rethink our screen addictions:
“Something’s wrong if we spend more time on our cell phones than with people,” he said. He urged that we “look less at screens and look each other in the eyes more.”

And his closing words? A warning and a prayer:
“Let us pray that the use of new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.”

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This wasn’t a one-off concern. The Vatican had already begun drafting guidelines for how humanity should approach artificial intelligence. In January, it released a 117-paragraph doctrine titled Antiqua et Nova — Latin for “the old and the new” — which explored the growing gap (and potential overlap) between human and artificial intelligence.

The document didn’t mince words:
“The very use of the word ‘intelligence’ in connection to AI can prove misleading,” Pope Francis warned in the text, reminding us that AI should be viewed not as “an artificial form of human intelligence, but as a product of it.”

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From killer drones to lonely hospital wards, the document touched on several red-flag issues. It highlighted the ethical dangers of autonomous weapons that can “identify and strike targets without direct human intervention.” In healthcare, it flagged concerns over AI replacing doctors entirely, saying it could worsen the “loneliness that often accompanies illness” and further push a “medicine for the rich” model.

It even warned against treating AI like a digital deity:
“The presumption of substituting God for an artefact of human making is idolatry,” the document said, throwing a little scripture shade at anyone trying to find spiritual fulfilment through ChatGPT.

AI may have “immense potential” — but according to the late Pontiff, it’s still no match for human connection.