The new pope has strong opinions about AI. Good.

Just days after the new pope, Leo XIV, took up his position as head of the Catholic Church, he started talking about artificial intelligence. In his first speech to the press, he recognized that AI has “immense potential” but emphasized that we need to “ensure that it can be used for the good of all.” And in his first address to the cardinals, he explained that he actually chose the name Leo XIV because of AI. The name is a reference to a previous pope, Leo XIII, who held the position during the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, and weighed in on how rising capitalism and the new technology of the day risked turning workers into commodities. The Catholic Church, he argued, should stand up for workers’ rights and dignity. The new pope signaled that he thinks the church must once again step into that role. On the surface, AI and Catholicism might seem like a strange combination. But AI is forcing big questions about the meaning of human life, and it’s important to have spiritual thinkers weigh in on those instead of just letting technologists run the show.