Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool for learning, but it should not replace personal effort, Pope Leo XIV warned about 15,000 young Americans during a question and answer session.
In a videoconference broadcast from the Vatican to the National Conference of Young Catholics in Indianapolis, the pope stressed that AI “is becoming one of the defining characteristics of our time.”
“Using artificial intelligence responsibly means using it in ways that help you grow. It’s not asking you to do your homework,” stated, quoted by Reuters agency.
During the conversation, Leo XIV answered questions about the Catholic faith and gave advice on how to make friends at school, but also briefly commented on political issues, in a reference to US President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies. “Jesus wants us to be people who build bridges, not walls,” he said, echoing one of the late Pope Francis’ strongest criticisms of the former American president.
The pope also reinforced that faith and the Church should not be politically instrumentalized: “Please be careful not to use political categories to talk about faith or the Church. The Church does not belong to any political party. It helps you form your conscience… so that you can think and act with wisdom and love.”