Pope creates Vatican AI commission

Pope Leo XIV has created a new Vatican commission on artificial intelligence, giving formal shape to an issue he has raised repeatedly in speeches, messages and public prayers. The Holy See Press Office published the decision on May 16 in a rescript signed by Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The text said Leo approved the body after considering AI’s rapid spread, its effects on human beings and humanity, and the church’s concern for human dignity. The move comes one day before Leo, speaking at the Regina Caeli on May 17, urged communicators to preserve “human voices and faces” in the age of artificial intelligence. ### Which Vatican offices are on the new commission? The May 16 rescript said the Inter-Dicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence will include representatives from seven Vatican institutions. They are the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Dicastery for Communication, the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. (press.vatican.va) Cardinal Czerny’s text said the head of each institution will appoint a representative. Any change in the commission’s composition must go back to the pope for approval, according to the rescript. ### Who runs it, and for how long? The rescript dated May 12 said the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will coordinate the commission for one year, with renewal possible if needed. (press.vatican.va) After that, the pope will assign coordination to one of the participating institutions for another one-year term, the text said. Article 28 §5 of the apostolic constitution *Praedicate Evangelium* was cited as the basis for the commission’s establishment by the human development dicastery. (press.vatican.va) The coordinating institution is tasked with facilitating collaboration and information-sharing on AI-related activities and projects, including policies on AI use within the Holy See, the rescript said. ### What did Leo say about “human voices and faces”? At the Vatican on May 17, Leo linked the issue directly to World Communications Day, whose 2026 theme he had already set as “Preserving human voices and faces.” Speaking after the Regina Caeli, he said: “In this era of artificial intelligence, I encourage everyone to commit themselves to promoting forms of communication that always respect the truth of the human person.” (press.vatican.va) A Vatican communication release issued on Sept. 29, 2025 said the theme responded to communication systems shaped by algorithms and AI-written texts and conversations. That release said AI can generate misleading information, simulate human voices and faces, invade privacy and weaken critical thinking if overused. ### Is this the Vatican’s first formal AI document? (ewtnnews.com) The Vatican already published a broader doctrinal note on AI before this commission was created. The January 2025 document, *Antiqua et nova*, was issued jointly by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and examined the relationship between artificial and human intelligence. (press.vatican.va) America magazine reported on May 16 that Leo’s new commission is expected to contribute to his first encyclical. The same report said part of that document, anticipated for May 25, is expected to address artificial intelligence. ### Why has AI become a recurring subject for Leo? Since 2025, Leo has returned to AI in messages on communications, medicine, children and warfare. (vatican.va) In a message to a Rome AI conference published by the Vatican, he called AI an “exceptional product of human genius” but said it also raises deeper questions about justice and the proper use of technology. (americamagazine.org) On May 14, America reported that Leo had warned about AI-directed warfare and high-tech weapons. On May 17, EWTN reported that he again framed the issue around human dignity and truthful communication. May 25 is the next date to watch. America reported that Leo’s first encyclical is expected that day, and the new commission’s work is positioned to feed into the Vatican’s next formal guidance on artificial intelligence. (vatican.va) (americamagazine.org 1) (americamagazine.org 2)