Macron, Pope Leo XIV unite on AI risks and nuclear weapons

Pope Leo XIV, who is in France for a four-day visit, has warned that a “paradise of machines” could undermine humanity.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Pope Leo XIV to the Élysée Palace on Friday at the start of the pontiff’s four-day visit to France, the first official state visit by a pope in 18 years.

Macron told the pope that his visit offered hope to people confronted with “the spectacle of the world’s miseries”.

Turning to artificial intelligence (AI), Macron said humans must retain their rightful place as technology advances.

The French leader called on international oversight to ensure the most advanced systems mankind has ever created are not controlled by a small number of powerful actors or get used as instruments to oppress people.

In a challenge to Paris, the pope also rejected the belief that nuclear weapons guarantee security, noting that they fuel a new and difficult-to-control arms race, and urged the country to resort to dialogue. — Africanews