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In his first official remarks as pope, Leo XIV delivered a powerful message to the College of Cardinals on Saturday, warning that artificial intelligence (AI) presents serious new risks to human dignity. He called on the Catholic Church to step up and respond to these challenges with moral clarity and bold action.

Speaking at the New Synod Hall, the Pope said the Catholic Church has faced similar moments before. 

He compared today’s rapid AI technological change to the upheaval of the 19th century industrial revolution, saying the Church must again defend workers and promote justice.

“Pope Leo XIII, with the historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum, addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution,” Pope Leo XIV said. “Today, the Church offers to all her treasure of social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence.”

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Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American to be elected pope.

A former missionary and head of the Dicastery for Bishops, he speaks English, Spanish and Italian and was widely seen as a unifying choice after the death of Pope Francis. His decision to take the name “Leo” connects his mission with Pope Leo XIII’s focus on social justice.

Under Pope Francis, the Vatican greatly expanded its digital outreach. It restructured its media operations, launched popular social media efforts and introduced ethical guidelines for AI. The “Rome Call for AI Ethics” is a joint initiative between the Church and tech leaders promoting transparency in AI development.

Pope Leo XIV made clear that he would continue this work. In his speech, he described AI as a powerful force that could reshape labor, society and even how we see ourselves. He emphasized that people, not profit, must remain at the center.

POPE LEO XIV’S BROTHER REACTS TO HIS HISTORIC ELECTION: ‘THERE ARE NO WORDS’

Pope Leo XIV meets the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican, Saturday. (Vatican Media via AP)

“These are Gospel principles through which the merciful face of the Father has been revealed and continues to be revealed in the Son made man,” he said. “Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.”

He also urged Catholics to stay grounded in quiet prayer and discernment in a noisy digital world. He quoted Scripture to say that God is often heard not in thunder or spectacle, but in “the whisper of a gentle breeze” or “the sound of sheer silence.”

The Pope also reflected on the recent death of Pope Francis. He called the moment both sorrowful and filled with God’s grace. He described the transition to a new pope as a “paschal event,” a kind of spiritual turning point, and thanked his predecessor for his life of service.

Pope Leo XIV meets the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican on Saturday. (Vatican Media via AP)

“I would like us to renew together today our complete commitment to the path that the universal Church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council,” he said. He also encouraged more listening, dialogue and care for the poor.

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As Vatican Media reported, the Pope’s remarks “invoked a vision of a Church firmly rooted in tradition but willing to meet the future with courage,” particularly in its response to technologies that are reshaping human identity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

As Pope Leo XIV laid out his vision for the papacy in an address to the College of Cardinals, he also explained why he picked his papal name. Incredibly, artificial intelligence played a big part.

In the Vatican’s translation of his speech, Pope Leo XIV explained that his name references Pope Leo XII, who presided over the church at the dawn of the industrial revolution.

…I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.

Below is more of the excerpt, published by the Catholic News Service.

The Catholic Church has taken a keen interest in the development of AI in recent years. In a January document published by the Vatican and translated to English, the church reflected on AI, its limitations, its relationship with the truth, and the ethics of developing and using the technology. The document also references a warning issued a year prior by Pope Francis about AI’s potential to create “partially or completely false narratives, believed and broadcast as if they were true.”

But if Pope Francis set up how the Catholic Church feels about AI, Pope Leo XIV citing it as a main reason for his name hints that it will be an even bigger part of the church’s focus during his papacy.

Pope Leo XIV laid out the vision of his papacy on Saturday, identifying artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity and vowing to continue some of the core priorities of the late Pope Francis. In his first formal audience, Leo repeatedly cited the Argentine pope’s own 2013 mission statement, making clear a commitment to making the Catholic Church more inclusive and attentive to the faithful and a church that looks out for the world’s vulnerable. Leo, the first American pope, told the cardinals who elected him that he was fully committed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the church. In another hint of his priorities, the Vatican revealed that Leo, an Augustinian, would retain the motto and coat of arms that he had as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.

The motto, “In Illo uno unum,” was pronounced by St. Augustine in a sermon to explain that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.” In the speech, delivered in Italian in the Vatican’s synod hall, Leo made repeated references to Francis and the mourning over his death. He held up Francis’ 2013 mission statement, “The Joy of the Gospel,” as something of his own marching orders, citing Francis’ insistence on the missionary nature of the church and the need to make its leadership more collegial. He noted the need to pay attention to what the faithful say, “especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, especially popular piety.” Referring again to Francis’ 2013 mission statement, Leo cited the need for the church to express “loving care for the least and rejected” and engage in courageous dialogue with the contemporary world.

Chicago-born Robert Prevost was elected the 267th pontiff on Thursday on the fourth ballot of the papal conclave, an exceptionally fast outcome given this was the largest and most geographically diverse conclave in history and not all cardinals knew one another before arriving in Rome. Cardinals have said Prevost didn’t make any major speech during the pre-conclave discussions, as he carried into the conclave the traditional taboo precluding a pope from the US, given America’s superpower status. But Prevost was already known to many, and he’s said to have made an impression in smaller groups where English was the key language of communication, in a conclave that brought together 133 cardinals from 70 countries. More here.

(More Pope Leo XIV stories.)

Cathie Wood is known for two things: making daring investment moves that go against the crowd and doing this with a focus on the long term. This means Wood might sell a spectacularly popular stock that’s soaring and buy shares of a stock that’s dropped in recent times. The chief executive officer of ARK Invest does this to get in on innovators — her favorite type of company — at a reasonable price. She doesn’t mind if the stock struggles in the near term because she aims to stick with the companies in her portfolio throughout their growth stories.

Just this week, Wood has done exactly this, and the move concerns three artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. AI stocks are right up Wood’s alley as the technology promises to revolutionize the way the world works — and that could represent billions of dollars in revenue for companies that lead the way. This week, Wood cut her holding of one of her favorite stocks — one that’s soared 1,000% over three years — and added to her positions in two other AI giants. Let’s take a closer look at her moves.

Selling shares of a favorite

So, let’s start with the stock Wood sold. This week, during more than one trading session, Wood sold shares of Palantir Technologies (PLTR -1.49%), a maker of AI-driven software systems. This stock, as of May 9, was the sixth-biggest holding, with a 6% weighting, in her flagship Ark Innovation exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Palantir reported fantastic revenue growth earlier in the week, with a solid balance of growth and profitability, and the company highlighted the strength of demand moving forward. So there wasn’t any bad news in the report, but, as a big holder of Palantir, Wood may have decided to lock in some profits to reallocate into other opportunities. On top of this, Palantir shares are pricey today at about 200 times forward earnings estimates, and this could weigh on near-term stock performance.

Still, it’s clear that with Palantir’s significant position in Ark Innovation, Wood still is optimistic about the company’s long-term prospects from earnings and share performance perspectives even after the stock has climbed in the quadruple digits over the past three years.

Two AI chip leaders

Now, let’s consider Wood’s buys. The top investor added more shares of AI chip designers Nvidia (NVDA -0.62%) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 1.14%) to Ark Innovation this past week. It’s no surprise the bargain-hunting Wood made this move considering the valuations of these players right now. Nvidia trades for 26 times forward earnings estimates, down from 50 times earlier this year. AMD’s valuation decline has been less spectacular, but the stock still looks like a good value today for 25 times forward earnings estimates compared to more than 30 times a few months ago.

Nvidia dominates the AI chip market, and its fast pace of innovation should keep it in the lead. So anyone, such as Wood, who believes in the AI growth story might view Nvidia as a solid buy at the moment. The company has proven itself by generating record revenue in recent quarters and high profitability on sales, and Nvidia has set out an aggressive product-development roadmap.

Meanwhile, AMD also is making progress in the AI chip market, and there’s enough room in this industry for this player to be successful without unseating Nvidia. AMD Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su said in the recent earnings report that the company delivered “an outstanding start to 2025.” Revenue and gross profit both climbed in the double digits, and AMD announced a gross margin of 50%, indicating strong profitability on sales. AMD’s strengths in central processing units(CPUs) — the main processor in standard computers — as well as its strengths in AI for data center customers have driven this growth.

So, what do these latest moves by superstar investor Cathie Wood mean for you as an investor? All three of these AI giants are great stocks to own for the long term. But of the three, from a valuation perspective, Nvidia and AMD represent the best buying opportunities right now. Considering the pace of AI growth, they may not remain at these valuations for long, so Wood took the opportunity to add to her holdings — and other AI savvy investors may want to do the same.

Pope Leo XIV has identified artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity today.

In his first meeting with all the cardinals since his election as pontiff, Leo said AI poses challenges to defending “human dignity, justice and labour”.

He referred to his namesake Pope Leo XIII (1878 to 1903), remembered for laying the foundation for modern Catholic social thought.

Pope Leo XIII wrote a famous open letter to all Catholics in 1891, called “Rerum Novarum” (“Of Revolutionary Change”), which reflected on the destruction wrought by the Industrial Revolution on the lives of workers.

On Saturday Leo pointed out the similarity with AI, telling cardinals: “In our own day, the church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.”

Toward the end of his pontificate, Pope Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it.

“It has been clearly seen in the example of so many of my predecessors, and most recently by Pope Francis himself, with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house,” Pope Leo told the gathering.

“Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.”

Leo’s speech on the perils of AI came after US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as the pope on his Truth Social platform less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who died aged 88 on Easter Monday.

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The White House then reposted it on its official X account with JD Vance dismissing the photo as a joke.

Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi wrote on X: “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown.”

Last year, an AI-generated image of Pope Francis wearing a luxury white puffer jacket went viral, showing just how quickly realistic deepfake imagery can spread online.

open image in gallery

Pope Francis had emphasised the grave, existential concerns that have been raised by ethicists and human rights advocates about the technology that promises to transform everyday life in ways that can disrupt everything from democratic elections to art.

His greatest alarm was devoted to the use of AI in the armaments sector, which he said has seen remote weapons systems leading to a “distancing from the immense tragedy of war and a lessened perception of the devastation caused by those weapons systems and the burden of responsibility for their use”.