Pope Leo XIV calls for ethical and compassionate use of AI in healthcare
Pope Leo XIV has urged healthcare professionals and technology experts to ensure that artificial intelligence remains a tool for healing and not a substitute for the human relationships that define compassionate care. His message was delivered at the opening of the Vatican’s international congress, AI and Medicine: The Challenge of Human Dignity, organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and held from November 10 to 12.
In his address to the participants, the Pope offered his “prayerful good wishes” and encouraged them to reflect deeply on how AI is reshaping healthcare and human interaction. He noted that modern technologies increasingly shape how people think and relate to one another, warning that while machines can assist, they must never replace the essential human connection between patient and caregiver.
“We now interact with machines as if they were our interlocutors,” the Pope said, “and risk losing sight of the faces around us, forgetting what it means to recognize and cherish what is truly human.”
Pope Leo acknowledged the enormous benefits AI has brought to medicine—from improving diagnostics to expanding access to care—but reminded delegates that true progress depends on respecting human dignity and prioritizing the common good. Technology, he said, can either uplift or harm humanity depending on how it is used.
“Artificial intelligence and other technologies can be devastating when misused, but transformative and beneficial when placed at the service of the human person,” he said. “It is our responsibility to ensure that the latter prevails.”
The Pope appealed to doctors, nurses, researchers, and healthcare leaders to see themselves as “guardians and servants of human life.” He emphasized that medicine is not simply a technical profession but a vocation rooted in empathy, communication, and moral integrity.
“The fragility of human life is most evident in the field of medicine,” he reflected. “Yet every person, regardless of their condition, possesses an intrinsic dignity simply because they exist and are loved by God.”
Pope Leo highlighted the irreplaceable value of direct human relationships in patient care. Medical expertise, he said, must always be accompanied by compassion, understanding, and emotional presence. “Healthcare cannot be reduced to solving a problem,” he cautioned. “Technological devices must never take away from the relationship between patient and carer.”
The Pope also warned of the powerful commercial forces shaping the development of AI and medical technology. He called for stronger international cooperation between scientists, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to ensure ethical oversight that transcends national interests.
“If AI is to truly serve human dignity,” he concluded, “it must strengthen both the quality of care and the bonds of compassion that define our shared humanity.”
