Pope Leo XIV approved the creation of an Interdicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence on 16 May. The document approving the commission was signed by Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The Pope approved the establishment of the commission while considering ‘the development in recent decades of the phenomenon of Artificial Intelligence and the most recent accelerations in its widespread use; its potential effects on human beings and on humanity as a whole; the Church’s concern for the dignity of every human person, especially in relation to their integral development,’ said the document, which was dated 12 May.
Pope Leo approved the creation of the interdicasterial body following an audience with Cardinal Czerny on 3 May. The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will coordinate the work of the commission for the first year.
The rescript explained that the commission is made up of representatives from seven Vatican bodies: 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.
This is not the first time dicasteries have come together to address artificial intelligence.
Each of these institutions will be responsible for coordinating the commission in turns for one-year terms, which can be renewed. The Pope would then decide the next body that will lead the works of the commission.
The text explains that ‘it is the responsibility of the coordinating institution to facilitate collaboration and the exchange of information among group members regarding activities and projects related to Artificial Intelligence, including policies on its use within the Holy See, while promoting dialogue, communion, and participation.’
Cardinal Czerny established the body according to Article 28 of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium, under which the head of a dicastery may create a special interdicasterial commission to address matters that touch the responsibilities of several dicasteries and that require ‘mutual and frequent consultation’.
This is not the first time dicasteries have come together to address this issue. In January 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education published the doctrinal note Antiqua et nova (‘Old and New’) on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence.
Developments in the field of artificial intelligence ... pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.
Additionally, the theme has been present throughout Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, as he has often spoken about artificial intelligence and other technological advancements and the challenges they can pose to our society.
As early as 10 May 2025, only days after his election, in a meeting with the cardinals, the Pope explained that his choice of papal name was inspired by Pope Leo XIII, who addressed the issues brought about by the industrial revolution in his encyclical Rerum novarum.
He then highlighted that ‘in our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.’