Pope Leo the Fourteenth has condemned the use of artificial intelligence to fuel 'polarization, conflict, fear and violence,' warning that such technologies risk deepening divisions within societies. Speaking at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaounde, Cameroon, he cautioned that the rapid spread of digital systems poses serious ethical and social challenges.

He warned that the danger goes beyond the misuse of new tools, arguing that society faces a deeper problem in the 'gradual replacement of reality by its simulation.' According to the pontiff, this shift could distort human relationships and undermine trust in truth.

The pope also criticized the environmental damage linked to the extraction of rare earth minerals required to power the digital boom, highlighting the heavy ecological cost of technological expansion. He called for greater responsibility to ensure innovation does not come at the expense of social harmony or the planet.