The Pope Denounces AI Art: ‘Algorithms Lack the Spark of Humanity’

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo has once again spoken out against art generated by artificial intelligence, saying the Roman Catholic Church “needs” human artists.

Pope Leo delivered his remarks during a gathering of artists and curators at the Vatican’s Consistory Hall for an event titled “The Art of Possibility: Weaving Together.”

“In this age of artificial intelligence, we urgently need to distinguish human art from what is produced by machines,” Pope Leo said at the event held on Friday.

“There is an ontological difference — even before an aesthetic one — between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of the human, whereas authentic culture and art preserve this spark.”

Pope Leo followed up on his remarks with a tweet on X. Ontology relates to the fundamental nature of being. The Pope is essentially saying that AI image models lack human intention, experience, or creativity.

In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgent to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity.

— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) October 2, 2026

It’s not the first time Pope Leo has spoken out against AI: earlier this year, he released an encyclical titled “Magnifica Humanitas.” An encyclical is the highest form of teaching from a pontiff, and the 43,000-word document warned that AI is a “powerful amplifier” of disinformation.

“The ability to manipulate content, images and videos exposes people to biased or misleading perspectives,” wrote Pope Leo. “This problem has both cultural and moral dimensions, since the quality of public communication depends directly on social trust and, in turn, shapes it.”

He urged people to “remain faithful to the truth!” He added that, “Living amid incessant flows of information, opinions and images, we know how easy it can be to influence decisions and preferences through increasingly sophisticated algorithms.”

Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.