Pope Leo launches AI commission over concerns that people will turn into “passive consumers of unthought thoughts and anonymous products without ownership or love"

Pope Leo has weighed in again on AI, with the creation of a study group on artificial intelligence.

The Vatican said that the Inter-Dicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence is being set up in light of the acceleration in the use of AI over recent years. It will, it said, look at AI's potential effects on human beings and on humanity as a whole.

It will be made up of representatives from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Dicastery for Communication, the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

During the first year, it will be coordinated by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with the role then shifting to another participating institution, again for one year.

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Earlier this year, the Pope issued a message for World Communications Day, expressing serious concerns about the use of AI. Algorithms designed to maximize engagement on social media, he warned, reduce people's ability to listen and think critically, increasing social polarization.

"Although AI can provide support and assistance in managing tasks related to communication, in the long run, choosing to evade the effort of thinking for ourselves and settling for artificial statistical compilations threatens to diminish our cognitive, emotional, and communication skills," he said.

"In recent years, artificial intelligence systems have increasingly taken control of the production of texts, music, and videos. This puts much of the human creative industry at risk of being dismantled and replaced with the label 'Powered by AI', turning people into passive consumers of unthought thoughts and anonymous products without ownership or love."

He called on online platforms to ensure that their business strategies aren't guided solely by the profit motive, but to consider the common good. The creators and developers of AI models should practice transparency and social responsibility, he said, while national legislators and supranational regulators should ensure respect for human dignity.

"All stakeholders – from the tech industry to legislators, from creative companies to academia, from artists to journalists and educators – must be involved in building and implementing informed and responsible digital citizenship," he said.

In the coming days, Pope Leo is expected to release a new encyclical, designed to provide guidance to bishops on moral questions – and widely expected to repeat his concerns on AI.