Artificial Intelligence challenges ‘tranquility of order’

Charles Collins • July 11, 2025

Humanity is at a crossroads and facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to a message from Pope Leo XIV.

In a letter sent to experts on the pontiff’s behalf by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State, Leo said the impact of the AI revolution “is far-reaching, transforming areas such as education, work, art, healthcare, governance, the military, and communication.”

The message was sent to participants in the “AI for Good Summit 2025”, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in partnership with other UN agencies and co-hosted by the Swiss Government.

Taking place on July 11, the UN summit aims to advance standardized AI for Health (AI4H) guidelines, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and broaden engagement across the global health and AI communities.

The UN said the meeting is tailored for policymakers, technologists, health practitioners, and humanitarian leaders, the session will focus on three key themes: the global landscape of AI for health, real-world use cases at the frontlines of healthcare, and the intersection of intellectual property and AI in health.

The statement signed by Cardinal Parolin said: “This epochal transformation requires responsibility and discernment to ensure that AI is developed and utilised for the common good, building bridges of dialogue and fostering fraternity, and ensuring it serves the interests of humanity as a whole.”

The statement said: “As AI becomes capable of adapting autonomously to many situations by making purely technical algorithmic choices, it is crucial to consider its anthropological and ethical implications, the values at stake and the duties and regulatory frameworks required to uphold those values.

It continued: “In fact, while AI can simulate aspects of human reasoning and perform specific tasks with incredible speed and efficiency, it cannot replicate moral discernment or the ability to form genuine relationships.

“Therefore, the development of such technological advancements must go hand in hand with respect for human and social values, the capacity to judge with a clear conscience, and growth in human responsibility.

“It is no coincidence that this era of profound innovation has prompted many to reflect on what it means to be human, and on humanity’s role in the world.”

The cardinal said: “Although responsibility for the ethical use of AI systems begins with those who develop, manage and oversee them, those who use them also share in this responsibility.

“AI therefore requires proper ethical management and regulatory frameworks centered on the human person, and which goes beyond the mere criteria of utility or efficiency.

“Ultimately, we must never lose sight of the common goal of contributing to that tranquillitas ordinis – the tranquility of order, as Saint Augustine called it (De Civitate Dei) and fostering a more humane order of social relations, and peaceful and just societies in the service of integral human development and the good of the human family.”

After his election in May, Pope Leo XIV said the work of his predecessor Pope Leo XIII influenced the choice of his name.

The previous Pope Leo served from 1878 until 1903, and his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum is considered the seminal document of modern Catholic Social Teaching.

The new Pope says the world is facing a societal transformation of the 21st century is as significant as the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.

Ultra-realistic humanoid artist robot Ai-Da looks on in front of paintings of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, displayed on the sidelines of the AI for Good Global Summit organised by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, on July 9, 2025. When successful artist Ai-Da unveiled a new portrait of King Charles this week, the humanoid robot described what inspired the layered and complex piece, and insisted it had no plans to “replace” humans. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD/AFP via Getty Images)