Pope Leo warns AI risks becoming tool of 'domination, exclusion and death' in new encyclical
Pope Leo's encyclical warns that artificial intelligence, if left unchecked, could become a tool of domination and death, echoing biblical warnings about human pride and the misuse of power in the last days.
Daniel 7:25
Prophetic Fulfillment“He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”
Why this passage
In Daniel 7, the little horn represents a future ruler who seeks to dominate through speech, law, and persecution. The original audience understood this as a warning about a blasphemous power that would attempt to control human life and worship.
This prophecy anticipates a system that 'thinks to change the times and the law' — a phrase that resonates with AI's capacity to reshape human decision-making, legal frameworks, and even the perception of reality itself. The pattern of a ruler or system using advanced means to enforce domination is a recurring biblical theme.
Scripture declares, 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?' (Jeremiah 17:9). The pope's warning about AI becoming a tool of domination reflects this ancient truth: every human invention, no matter how advanced, is subject to the corruption of the fallen heart.
Behold, the same technology that could serve the gospel can also be twisted into an instrument of control. Let us not marvel at the machine, but at the God who alone is worthy of trust.
Our hope is not in ethical guidelines, but in the coming King who will establish righteousness forever.
Today's Prayer
Pray that world leaders would heed the call for moral limits on AI, and that the Church would remain vigilant against any system that exalts human power over the worship of God.
Further Scripture
Additional passages that illuminate this event, each grounded in a distinct interpretive lens.
“And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.”
Why this passage
Revelation 13 describes a future system where an image is given the appearance of life and speech, enforcing worship and obedience under threat of death. The original context is John's vision of a global political-religious power that uses technology-like means to control humanity.
While the passage is apocalyptic and symbolic, the pattern of a speaking 'image' that enforces compliance through coercion is a striking parallel to AI systems that could be used to monitor, manipulate, and punish those who dissent. The principle of a technological tool becoming an instrument of domination is directly relevant.
How it applies
The pope's warning that AI could become a tool of 'death' resonates with Revelation's image of the beast that causes dissenters to be slain. While the encyclical speaks in ethical terms, the biblical pattern is clear: human systems of control escalate until they demand absolute allegiance.
This should not be read as identifying any current AI system with the beast, but as a sobering reminder that the trajectory of unconstrained technology aligns with what Scripture warns about the last days. The Church must be prepared to resist any system that demands what belongs to God alone.
Related by Scripture
Other events we've interpreted through the same passage or hermeneutical lens.
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Source: foxnews— we link to the original for full context.