Newly elected Pope Leo XIV addressed the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican on Saturday, May 10. He credits his Papal name choice as a response to the digital age facing the Catholic Church. 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.

In Herman Hesse's novel "The Glass Bead Game," published in 1943, a future Europe is controlled by only two powers, the players of that mysterious game that uses math and musicology to utilize all of human historical knowledge, and the Roman Catholic Church. Though the actual rules and playing of the glass bead game are vague in the book, to the modern reader its use of prompts to generate truth from the archive of history looks incredibly similar to artificial intelligence, arguably the greatest challenge the non-fictional Pope Leo, the Roman Catholic Church's new pope, Pope Leo XIV, must navigate. In the course of European history, popes have had enormous influence on the development of science, sometimes in conflict, such as with Galileo and Pope Paul V, but also in vital partnership by creating all of the continent's first universities. Indeed, today's Catholic catechism pronounces that science and faith are complementary not in conflict, it reads in part, "…methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God." Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Thursday.

In 2005, cell phones were banned for the first time during the conclave, the process by which the Catholic Church elects its new pope. Twenty years later, after the death of Pope Francis, the election process is underway again. Authorities have two priorities: to protect the integrity of those attending the meeting, and to ensure that it proceeds in strict secrecy (under penalty of excommunication and imprisonment) until the final decision is made. By 2025, the Gendarmerie corps guarding Vatican City faces unprecedented technological challenges compared to other conclaves. Among them are artificial intelligence systems, drones, military satellites, microscopic microphones, a misinformation epidemic, and a world permanently connected and informed through social media.

Following the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, the Catholic Church must now begin the lengthy process of electing his successor. Starting at least 15 days after his death, the 135 eligible cardinals will be locked away in the legendary Conclave until they have chosen the next pope. But if you just can't wait for the world's most secretive election to run its course, MailOnline has used AI to predict the result. According to OpenAI's ChatGPT, the man set to become the next head of the Roman Catholic Church is Cardinal Pietro Parolin. As the AI points out, the 70-year-old Italian priest is seen by many as the natural heir to Pope Francis' legacy and holds an edge in current betting markets. ChatGPT said: 'As Vatican Secretary of State since 2013, Parolin is viewed as the "continuity" candidate - acceptable to both reformers and traditionalists.

Pope Francis met with top comedians at the Vatican on Friday to encourage them to "spread peace" in the midst of "gloomy" news. A delegation representing the Holy See urged the United Nations this week to put a moratorium on autonomous weapons designed to kill without human decision-making. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva, gave the warning Monday during an expert session on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). "For the Holy See, autonomous weapons systems cannot be considered as morally responsible entities," Balestrero explained. "The human person, endowed with reason, possesses a unique capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making that cannot be replicated by any set of algorithms, no matter how complex." POPE FRANCIS SAYS INTENTIONALLY ALLOWING MIGRANTS TO DIE IS A'GRAVE SIN' The Vatican City flag flies outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Pope Francis met with top comedians at the Vatican on Friday to encourage them to "spread peace" in the midst of "gloomy" news. Pope Francis delivered the first-ever papal address at a G-7 conference on Friday, warning about the ethical pitfalls of artificial intelligence. The pope told the council of world leaders in Fasano, Italy, that AI offers immense benefit to the human race, but also threatens to dehumanize society. "The question of artificial intelligence, however, is often perceived as ambiguous: on the one hand, it generates excitement for the possibilities it offers, while on the other, it gives rise to fear for the consequences it foreshadows," Pope Francis said in his remarks. Pope Francis (C) delivers remarks as French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) and US President Joe Biden (bottom, back turned) take part in a working session on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Energy, Africa-Mediterranean at the Borgo Egnazia resort during the G7 Summit in Savelletri near Bari, Italy.

After a gruelling first day discussing how to finance a prolonged war against an authoritarian dictator, G7 leaders in Puglia next turned for advice from someone who insists he is infallible, and for good measure thinks Ukraine should have the courage to wave the white flag. Normally when an 87-year-old claiming infallibility turns up at your door, the instinct is to give them a cup of tea and quietly ring social services. But when 1.3 billion other people, including your hostess, believe he is indeed infallible, the dynamic somewhat changes. So Pope Francis, invited by the devout Catholic and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, was warmly greeted when he reached the summit of mammon, the G7 club of western wealthy countries. Even if G7 is used to listening to the prophecies of economists, he is the first religious leader ever to attend this event, and to give his prediction of what the future holds.

Pope Francis called for a ban on "lethal autonomous weapons" in an address to the G7 leaders' summit in Italy on the perils of artificial intelligence (AI). On Friday, the pontiff was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to ever attend a Group of Seven meeting. "In light of the tragedy that is armed conflict, it is urgent to reconsider the development and use of devices like the so-called'lethal autonomous weapons' and ultimately ban their use," the pope said. "This starts from an effective and concrete commitment to introduce ever greater and proper human control. No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being."

The European Union is readying a landmark antitrust law that could limit more advanced generative AI models. The Federal Trade Commission is investigating a deal that Microsoft made with the AI start-up Inflection, probing whether the tech giant deliberately set up the investment to avoid a merger review. And U.S. enforcers reached a deal that will open the company to greater scrutiny of how it wields power to dominate artificial intelligence, including its multibillion-dollar investments in ChatGPT maker OpenAI. That relationship has also exposed Microsoft to new reputational risks, as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman frequently invites controversy.

Pope Francis accused conservative bishops in the U.S. of holding a "suicidal attitude" in a new interview with CBS News that aired on Sunday. Pope Francis will meet with the leaders of the United States, Ukraine, France and India on the sidelines of the Group of 7 (G-7) summit in Italy's Borgo Egnazia, the Vatican said on Thursday. Francis, who in January warned against the "perverse" dangers of artificial intelligence, is due to take part in leaders' talks on the new technology on Friday. He is the first pope to take part in G-7 discussions. Pope Francis is seen at the weekly general audience at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on June 12, 2024.