Pope opens France trip with warning that AI and war could erode human dignity

Pope Leo XIV opened his trip to France on Friday with a warning that artificial intelligence and other advances could create a “paradise of machines” that weakens humanity rather than serving it. In speeches in Paris, he framed the trip around questions of human dignity, life and the responsibilities that come with scientific progress.

The remarks came during the first official papal state visit to France in 18 years, a closely watched journey that includes meetings with President Emmanuel Macron, French authorities and diplomats, as well as events tied to UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency. The visit also comes as the Vatican seeks to keep concerns about AI, education and peace at the center of its global message.

Leo’s opening address at the Élysée Palace and later remarks at UNESCO linked technology to broader ethical questions. He said scientific progress should not be separated from the value of every human life, and he also renewed the Vatican’s opposition to nuclear weapons, saying the doctrine of deterrence was mistaken because it fuels a new arms race.

A message aimed at a secular country

France is one of Europe’s most secular nations, and the pope’s visit has drawn attention beyond the Catholic Church because of its political and cultural setting. Vatican officials have cast the trip as an appeal to respect the dignity of every person, while French church leaders have pointed to life issues and human rights as recurring themes of the papal agenda.

The trip includes meetings with survivors of sexual abuse by clergy and other church personnel, underscoring the unresolved tensions surrounding abuse within the church. It also includes public prayer and other events meant to speak both to Catholics and to a wider French audience.

At UNESCO, Leo emphasized that the future depends on protecting the dignity of each person and warned that science and technology can be turned toward destructive ends if they are detached from human values. His remarks echoed a broader Vatican message that technology must be guided by ethics, especially as AI becomes more prominent in daily life and policy debates.

The France visit is scheduled to continue through the weekend, with the pope expected to move between diplomatic, cultural and pastoral settings. For the Vatican, the trip offers a high-profile platform to press its themes of peace, life and human dignity in a country that remains important to the church’s history and to Europe’s religious future.