Pope Leo XIV and Macron urge global AI governance during Paris visit

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Paris on Friday for a four-day visit, welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron at Orly airport. The two leaders held talks at the Élysée Palace covering Middle East peace, nuclear disarmament, and the regulation of artificial intelligence.

Macron proposed creating an international organization to supervise the most advanced AI models and prevent their control from being concentrated in a few hands. He stated that artificial intelligence must remain a servant, not a master, and warned of the risk of losing control over rapidly advancing technology.

“Artificial intelligence must be a servant and not a master.”

Pope Leo XIV, who dedicated his first encyclical "Magnifica humanitas" to AI, called for ethical discernment to keep technology at the service of human dignity and freedom. He warned against losing "our humanity in the midst of the machine paradise" that conditions daily life.

Both leaders appealed for a "disarmed and disarming" peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. The Pope questioned whether nuclear weapons guarantee security, referencing Macron's proposed European nuclear umbrella, and warned of a new atomic arms race.

The pontiff will address UNESCO later today on artificial intelligence and its impact on society. His itinerary also includes visits to Notre-Dame, Lourdes, and a private meeting with victims of clerical sexual abuse.