Pope Leo XIV Calls for Human-Centered Communication in Age of AI

As the Catholic Church observed the 60th World Day of Social Communications on May 17, Leo XIV urged Catholics to ensure that technological progress and digital communication remain grounded in respect for human dignity and truth.

According to Vatican News, the pope made the appeal during his Regina Caeli address at the Vatican, where he reflected on the growing influence of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in modern communication.

“I encourage everyone to commit themselves to promoting forms of communication that are always respectful of the truth of the human person, toward which every technological innovation should be directed,” the pope said.

The World Day of Social Communications was established by the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council to encourage reflection on media, communication, and the Church’s mission in society.

Earlier this year, Pope Leo released his message for the 2026 observance under the theme “Preserving Human Voices and Faces,” reported Vatican News.

In the message, the pope described human faces and voices as sacred expressions of identity because every person is created in the image and likeness of God.

“Each of us possesses an irreplaceable and inimitable vocation,” he wrote, noting that human identity develops through lived experience and relationships with others.

At the same time, the pope warned that artificial intelligence systems increasingly imitate human speech, emotions, and interaction in ways that risk weakening authentic communication.

According to Vatican News, he cautioned that AI technologies “not only interfere with information ecosystems, but also encroach upon the deepest level of communication, that of human relationships.”

The pope said the greater danger lies in humanity’s growing tendency to surrender critical thinking, listening, and discernment to algorithms and digital platforms.

“We are thus robbed of the opportunity to encounter others,” he wrote, adding that genuine relationships require openness to people who are different from ourselves.

Pope Leo also emphasized the importance of digital literacy and ethical education, especially as algorithms increasingly shape public opinion and access to information.

“The digital revolution requires digital literacy, along with humanistic and cultural education,” he said.

Concluding his message, the pope called on communicators, educators, and technology developers to place the human person at the center of innovation.

“We need faces and voices to speak for people again,” he said. “We need to cherish the gift of communication as the deepest truth of humanity.”