Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that a “paradise of machines” risked undermining humanity as he opened a four-day trip to France — raising existential questions about artificial intelligence, scientific progress, and human rights, the Associated Press and BBC reported.
Speaking to President Emmanuel Macron and diplomats at the Élysée Palace after an hour of talks, the pontiff cautioned against “losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines.” He also reaffirmed Vatican opposition to nuclear weapons and called the nuclear-deterrence doctrine “mistaken,” saying it was fueling a new arms race amid wars in Europe and the Middle East.
Church bells tolled when Leo’s flight landed at Paris Orly; upward of a million people are expected during the visit, which includes Lourdes and Metz. Saturday’s giant Mass on the Place de la Concorde is set for more than half a million attendees. Macron will skip papal Masses to respect France’s church-state separation; First Lady Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu are expected instead.
It is the first papal visit to France in 18 years — and Leo’s AI warning lands in the same week tech CEOs begged the U.N. for global rules while city halls race to write their own.
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