Reflection: Pope Leo XIV on AI

Reflection: Pope Leo XIV on AI

When I read Pope Leo XIV’s recent remarks on artificial intelligence, I was struck by how much of his language resonated with biblical truth — even if our theological commitments differ in some key areas. He said that AI must serve humanity, not replace us. He warned that an algorithm can never match the creative, dynamic power of human memory and experience. He expressed concern for the intellectual and spiritual formation of young people. Those are not trivial observations.

His comments are a timely reminder: technology, like every other tool in human history, will either serve as an instrument for righteousness or as a weapon for rebellion. It will either help us love God and neighbor more fully, or it will feed our idolatry and self-reliance. And the deciding factor is not the technology itself — it’s the heart of the people who use it.

A Biblical Lens for Technology

From the opening chapters of Genesis, we see that human creativity is part of God’s image stamped on us. Adam was tasked with naming the animals — an exercise in taxonomy, language, and classification. In other words, God made us to observe, categorize, and harness creation for good. Technology is not inherently evil; it is the outworking of the cultural mandate to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28).

But ever since the fall, every human invention is touched by the same corruption that infects our souls. The same skill that builds an ark to save a family from the flood can also forge a tower to “make a name for ourselves” (Gen. 11:4). The printing press can publish Bibles — or spread heresy. The internet can deliver sermons to a persecuted believer — or entice millions into sin.

The apostle Paul’s warning in Romans 1 looms over every technological advancement: our problem is not a lack of tools but a darkened heart that exchanges the glory of the Creator for the works of our own hands. That means the central question about AI is not “What can it do?” but “Who will we become as we use it?”

Where the Pope is Right — and Where We Must Go Further

Pope Leo XIV is correct to emphasize that AI cannot replace the God-given dignity of human beings. Scripture affirms that dignity from conception to eternity because we are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26–27). No neural network, no matter how powerful, shares that image. AI’s “memory” is not the living soul’s remembrance; its “learning” is not the wisdom that begins with the fear of the Lord.

He is also right to warn that data is not the same as wisdom. The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10), and that apart from God’s Word, our cleverness only makes us fools (Rom. 1:22). AI can retrieve trillions of facts in milliseconds, but it cannot discern the weight of eternal truth.

Where I would press further is on the question of authority. If AI is only a tool, then the real danger is not simply that it will be used badly — it’s that we will slowly ascribe to it the kind of trust, dependence, and interpretive authority that belongs to God’s Word alone. The greatest spiritual threat of AI is not its technical overreach, but our theological drift.

AI and the Discipleship of the Next Generation

The Pope’s concerns for children are well-placed. Parents and churches have always been called to guard the minds and hearts of the young, but AI raises the stakes. When a child can ask an AI anything — and get an instant, confident answer — the question is no longer just “What will they learn?” but “From whom will they learn?”

The book of Proverbs is filled with the language of apprenticeship: “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction” (Prov. 1:8). Discipleship has always been relational and incarnational. Wisdom is caught as much as taught. But AI, for all its linguistic sophistication, cannot model humility, cannot display repentance, cannot rejoice in the gospel.

This is why I am convinced that if we are to engage AI at all in matters of faith, we must tether it firmly to the unchanging Scriptures. Without a fixed anchor, the tide of culture — and the biases of the programmers — will inevitably shape its voice.

A Case for a Bible-Faithful AI

This is where a tool like Bible Answers AI can be helpful — not because AI has something spiritually unique to offer, but because it can serve as a highly accessible delivery system for the truth we already have in God’s Word.

Imagine a believer in a remote part of the world, or a new Christian in a spiritually dry workplace, or a teen with questions they’re too embarrassed to ask aloud. If they could receive an instant, biblically faithful answer drawn from careful study, sound doctrine, and historic Christian confessions — without the mixture of half-truths, progressive reinterpretations, and theological vagueness so common in secular AI models — then we have something worth commending.

The key, however, is restraint. A Bible-faithful AI must know its limits. It cannot speculate where Scripture is silent. It cannot replace the local church, the preaching of the Word, or the shepherding care of pastors. It must constantly point people back to the Scriptures themselves, not to itself as an authority.

Guardrails for Faithful AI Use

If we pursue AI as a ministry tool, I believe at least five guardrails are essential:

1. Scriptural Supremacy – Every output must be tested against the clear teaching of the Bible. The AI’s “voice” must be shaped by a high view of Scripture as inspired, inerrant, and sufficient.

2. Doctrinal Accountability – A defined doctrinal statement, rooted in historic orthodoxy, should govern the model’s responses, and a team of biblically qualified overseers should review its guidance.

3. Humility in Scope – The AI must defer where God’s Word does not speak and make clear when an answer reflects interpretive judgment rather than direct biblical command.

4. Pastoral Priority – Answers should encourage connection to a local church, not replace it, and should be framed in ways that nurture discipleship, not mere information consumption.

5. Transparency – Users should always know they are interacting with an AI tool, not a human being, and understand the tool’s purpose, boundaries, and sources.

Why This Matters

We are living in a moment when people increasingly turn to technology as their first responder for life’s biggest questions. And the questions they bring — about God, suffering, morality, meaning — are precisely the ones that require the most careful, biblical answers.

If the church remains silent in this space, the gap will be filled by voices that sound confident but are not anchored in truth. That is why I am convinced that a Bible-faithful AI, built with theological conviction and strict safeguards, could be a useful servant to the church — not a master, not a replacement, but a servant.

The Pope has reminded us that AI should never be allowed to overshadow human dignity. I would add: it should never be allowed to overshadow divine authority. Scripture alone is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16). No algorithm can replace the Spirit’s work through the Word. AI may summarize, explain, and connect truths — but it cannot impart life. That belongs to the gospel alone.

The Unchanging Anchor

The technology will keep advancing. The algorithms will keep improving. And the temptations — to overtrust, to outsource discernment, to prefer convenience over communion — will only grow stronger. But the answer is the same as it has always been: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8).

If we remember that, then perhaps we can, by God’s grace, use tools like AI without being used by them. We can receive them with gratitude, wield them with wisdom, and lay them down when they begin to master us.

And maybe — just maybe — we can redeem this technological moment not by marveling at the machine, but by magnifying the Maker.