Pope Leo warns of ‘overly affectionate’ AI chatbots

By Christopher Lamb, CNN

(CNN) — Beware of the AI chatbot that becomes more than just a friend, or worse, an emotional crutch. Pope Leo XIV has warned about overly “affectionate” chatbots, urging regulation to prevent humans from forming serious emotional bonds with their AI companions.

The US-born pontiff, writing in a message ahead of the Catholic Church’s annual World Day of Social Communications, said artificial intelligence risked diluting human creativity and decision-making.

“As we scroll through our information feeds, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand whether we are interacting with other human beings, bots, or virtual influencers,” Pope Leo wrote on Saturday.

“Because chatbots that are made overly ‘affectionate,’ in addition to always present and available, can become hidden architects of our emotional states, and in this way invade and occupy people’s intimate spheres,” he added.

Compared to his predecessors, Leo XIV is more engaged with the digital world. As a bishop and cardinal, he had an X account, and as pope he wears what appears to be an Apple watch or other smart watch.

Soon after his election, Leo said he wanted to make AI a focus of his papacy and has called for an ethical framework for the developing technology.

At the end of 2025, Leo also met Megan Garcia, a woman whose 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer, took his own life after engaging with an AI Chatbot. In his latest message, the pope called for national governments and international bodies to take action in this area.

“Appropriate regulation can protect people from an emotional attachment to chatbots and contain the spread of false, manipulative or misleading content, preserving the integrity of information against its deceptive simulation,” he wrote.

Leo also called for clear distinctions between content generated by AI versus created by people, including journalists.

“Authorship and sovereign ownership of the work of journalists and other content creators must be protected,” the pontiff said. “Information is a public good.”

And he urged media and communication companies not to use algorithms “for a few more seconds of attention” if it betrays their “professional values.”

Leo also raised concerns about the “handful of companies” behind the development of AI, pointing specifically to the founders who were recently presented as “Person of the Year 2025” by Time magazine. Leo said it “raises concerns” that a small group of people has “control of algorithmic and AI systems that can subtly shape behavior and even rewrite human history – including the history of the Church – often without us fully realizing it.”

The church’s World Day of Social Communications takes place on May 17, 2026, and this year is focused on protecting human dignity at a time of technological innovation.

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