Pope Leo XIV cautioned world leaders and diplomats in Paris that unchecked advances in artificial intelligence and biotechnology threaten fundamental human dignity, urging that rapid technological innovation remain subordinate to ethical principles.
Speaking at both the Élysée Palace alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and at UNESCO headquarters, the pontiff addressed the societal hazards posed by delegating core human faculties to computational machines. He expressed concern that societies are becoming captivated by a machine-dominated existence, warning that interpersonal bonds and human reflection risk erosion without rigorous moral discernment. During his UNESCO address, the pope highlighted a troubling modern contradiction wherein automated software is hailed as intelligent while vulnerable people struggle to have their intrinsic worth recognized.
He cautioned that when human worth is weighed strictly against metrics of efficiency and economic utility, the elderly, sick, and marginalized are easily treated as disposable. The pontiff also warned against unregulated biotechnology and commercialized science, emphasizing that technical capabilities must never compromise the sanctity of human life. Drawing from his encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas*, he urged international institutions to cultivate ethical education so that people learn to nurture their humanity rather than simply accumulate power.
Leo stressed that scientific exploration abandons its true purpose whenever technological advancement operates without moral accountability. Concluding his Paris appeals, the pope declared that modern innovation must actively serve the common good rather than mutate into an instrument of domination and injustice.