Pope Leo XIV Says Human Art and Machine Output Differ in What They Fundamentally Are

Pope Leo XIV said Friday that human-made art and machine-generated output are separated by an "ontological difference," arguing that the gap comes before any debate over style or quality. In a post on X, he said algorithms rely on statistical calculation built from millions of images made by others and "lack the spark of humanity." He also said the Church wants to renew its alliance with artists and cultural institutions in order to "safeguard our humanity." The statement fits into a broader line of AI commentary from Leo. In May, he issued his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, focused on protecting people in the age of AI, and the Vatican created an AI commission spanning seven Vatican bodies. On Sept. 25, speaking at the Élysée Palace in Paris, he said it was indispensable to make AI the subject of that first encyclical and warned that science and technology without the guidance of conscience can lead people away from the good. The debate also reaches beyond theology. Reports cited in the story note the limits of AI-detection tools, while legal and commercial fights over authorship continue to grow. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a ruling that copyright requires a human author, and artists have also migrated to platforms such as Cara, which had nearly 900,000 users by June 2024.