Pope Leo XIV addressed President Emmanuel Macron on Friday at the Élysée Palace, warning that an unregulated surge in artificial intelligence could erode humanity’s core values. He said, "If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment."
The speech arrived just as leading AI figures—including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, XAI founder Elon Musk, and OpenAI chief Sam Altman—have publicly called for a slowdown in the development of high‑risk artificial intelligence. Amodei, Musk and Altman have urged regulators to pause the rollout of advanced AI systems, arguing that unchecked AI presents an existential threat to humanity.
Macron welcomed the Pope’s visit, describing it as a source of hope for the nation amid escalating tensions. He emphasized France’s commitment to peace, multilateralism and the United Nations Charter, while noting that the presidential election in seven months could see far‑right parties pressuring national policy.
The Pope also reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to assisted dying, expressing concern over France’s recent legal right to die for terminally ill patients. "I firmly reiterate that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right," he said. He warned that profit‑driven ventures could turn science into genetic manipulation, surrogacy, organ trade or the arrangement of one’s own death.
Later on Friday, the Pope rode his popemobile through Paris, greeting cheering crowds and inspecting the Notre Dame Cathedral, the first papal visit to the historic site since the 2019 fire. He called on the French government to enact mandatory AI ethics training and to slow the rollout of high‑risk AI systems.