Pope Leo XIV Credits AI For Inspiring His Papal Name Amid A New Tech Revolution
The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has revealed that artificial intelligence played a significant role in shaping his papal vision, including the very name he chose to lead the Catholic Church.
The former Chicago-born Augustinian missionary, Robert Prevost, was elected to the papacy on May 8 after receiving the support of two-thirds of the College of Cardinals. He will be formally installed as pope on May 18, 2025, in a ceremony at St. Peter’s Square.
A Name Rooted in History — And Technology
In his first official address as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV shared a surprising influence behind his chosen name: artificial intelligence. Speaking to the College of Cardinals, he said the technology helped him reflect on past leadership and shape his direction for the future.
"I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution," he explained.
By invoking the legacy of Pope Leo XIII, who led the Church during a time of sweeping industrial change, Pope Leo XIV draws a deliberate line between past and present revolutions. Just as his predecessor addressed workers’ rights in an age of machines, the new pope signals a commitment to confronting today’s digital upheavals with the same moral urgency.
Warning Bells Amid the AI Boom
Pope Leo XIV didn’t shy away from discussing the darker side of technological advancement. He acknowledged the promise of artificial intelligence, but warned of its ethical consequences if left unchecked.
"In our own day, the church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour," he said.
His remarks arrive at a time when AI’s influence on culture, politics, and religion is under global scrutiny. Most recently, U.S. President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope, joking that he might enjoy the job.
A Legacy of AI Caution Continues
Pope Leo XIV steps into a role shaped by a predecessor who was no stranger to AI’s double-edged sword. Pope Francis, who passed away earlier this year, often spoke of the need to carefully regulate AI. In 2023, a fake AI-generated image of him wearing a white designer puffer jacket spread widely online, sparking debates over synthetic media and misinformation. At the time, he warned about digitally altered images that “appear perfectly plausible but false".
By referencing Pope Leo XIII and taking a public stand on AI, Pope Leo XIV is signalling a papacy deeply aware of the technological crossroads the world faces today — and the Church’s role in guiding humanity through it.
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