Buenos Aires [Argentina], November 10 : Pope Leo XIV has issued a strong caution to Argentine President Javier Milei and the country’s political leadership against the rapid and unregulated adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, warning that unchecked technological expansion threatens millions of livelihoods and undermines human dignity.
His remarks come as Milei's government continues to pursue sweeping economic reforms, including reductions in public expenditure, as part of its efforts to tackle inflation and restructure Argentina's economy.
Sharing his reflections on social media platform X during his Apostolic Journey to Argentina, the Pontiff asserted that technological innovation must remain anchored in ethics, stressing that mathematical models can never replicate human conscience or the intrinsic value of labour.
"The challenges posed by #ArtificialIntelligence and unregulated automation can put countless jobs at risk and become a real threat to proper integral human development. Technology must always be subject to ethics; an algorithm cannot replace human discernment or a worker's value," Pope Leo XIV said, adding, “Access to work for all must be a high priority for public policies and economic processes, serving as a criterion for evaluating the human quality of any development model.”
Addressing business leaders and global financial institutions, the Pontiff delivered a sharp critique of unbridled corporate greed, warning against viewing financial returns as the solitary gauge of corporate achievement.
"When economic profit is established as the sole criterion of success, a business becomes dehumanised and turns into a structure of sin that generates exclusion. Business leaders are called to overturn this technocratic mentality through ethical investment that gives priority to the dignity of work and environmental sustainability, recognising that financial success must be measured in terms of the common good," he wrote.
Underscoring the need for ecological and social responsibility, the Pope stated that true human advancement cannot come at the cost of the marginalised or future generations.
"True progress is not what increases the wellbeing of some by degrading ecosystems, shifting costs onto the most disadvantaged communities, or compromising the living conditions of those who will follow us," the Pontiff added.
Pope Leo is currently undertaking a 12-day Apostolic Journey to Latin America, covering Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.