Pope Leo XIV has openly rejected the idea of having an AI Pope in an interview with biographer Eloise Allen. He expressed that “if there’s anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list.” He was approached about authorizing the creation of an AI version of himself that would provide virtual audiences to users, saying firmly, “I’m not going to authorize that.”

Pope Leo

Previously, Pope Leo selected his name in homage to Pope Leo III, notable for his advocacy for the working class during the Industrial Revolution. He remarked that AI represents “another Industrial Revolution,” stating that it poses a “big problem, a huge problem coming down the line.”

The Pope emphasizes that while he welcomes progress, the current trajectory of technology risks rendering it a “cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about.” He remarked, “The human heart will be lost in the midst of technological development.”