Despite having served for four months, the cardinal overseeing the Vatican's AI committee acknowledges that he does not use AI.
According to the American 'POLITICO EU' website, in an interview with the podcast 'Brussels Playbook' on September 25th local time, Cardinal Michael Czerny was asked if he uses AI in his work. He replied, "No, not yet. I just don't have the time."
In May of this year, Pope Leo XIV appointed this Canadian cardinal, who was born in the Czech Republic, as the chairman of the Vatican’s “AI Cross-Department Committee”. The purpose of this appointment is to coordinate various administrative departments of the Vatican and to study the impact of machine learning on humanity.
July 9, 2026: Pope Leo XIV (right) and Cardinal Michael Curry. Photo material.
When asked if he opposed this technology in principle, he said, “I am very willing and eager to learn.” He added, “I believe it is my moral duty to use it as well. This way, I can gain personal experience, and I also hope that it will be beneficial to my work.”
According to Reuters report on September 25th, Pope Leo XIV warned during his visit to France that AI is increasingly intervening and affecting human daily life. Humans should be vigilant about the future of the Earth being controlled by a "machine paradise".
He stated: “If we want to avoid losing humanity in a ‘machine paradise’ where we are subjected to intrusion and constraints on our daily lives, then we urgently need to conduct ethical judgment education.”
Reuters reported that Leo XIV was the first Pope from the United States. During the 16 months since his appointment, he has been warning of the risks that rapid AI development might bring, and has made this issue an important topic during his tenure.
