Pope Leo XIV has approved the establishment of an Inter-Dicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence (AI) which, in its first year, will be coordinated by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD).
The Holy See Press Office announced, via a Rescriptum ex audientia Sanctissimi, that the decision was taken after considering “the development in recent decades of the phenomenon of Artificial Intelligence and the most recent acceleration in its widespread use; its potential effects on human beings and on humanity as a whole, and the concern of the Church for the dignity of every human being, especially in relation to their integral development”.
The Commission is composed of representatives from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Congregation 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.
“It is the responsibility of the coordinating institution to facilitate collaboration and the exchange of information amongst the members of the group regarding activities and projects concerning Artificial Intelligence, including policies on its use within the Holy See, promoting dialogue, communion and participation”, as stated in the official press release.
The Prefect of the DPIHD, Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, emphasised that the establishment of the new Commission “is a real sign of hope, to help the Roman Curia to address the challenges of artificial intelligence both internally and for the whole Church, the whole world”; he recalled that the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium urges the study of “the major problems of the current age, so that the Church’s pastoral activity may be more effectively promoted and suitably coordinated” (Art 21, §4) and concluded that “our dicastery is honoured to receive this charge from the Holy Father”.
The Church’s Teaching on Artificial Intelligence
In recent years, the Church’s Magisterium has addressed the issue of Artificial Intelligence on several occasions.
In his Message for the World Day of Peace 2024, Pope Francis encouraged us to “make sure that Artificial Intelligence is put at the service of peace in the world, rather than being a threat, and that it makes a beneficial contribution on humanity future”
Pope Leo XIV addressed the topic of AI on different contexts. Referring to World Communications Day 2026, He urged: “In this era of artificial intelligence, I encourage everyone to commit themselves to promoting forms of communication that always respect the truth of the human person, on which every technological innovation should be focused”.
On the 15th of May 2026, Pope Leo XIV signed the first encyclical of his pontificate Magnifica Humanitas, on the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, on the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum. It is published on May 25th.