Leo raised existential concerns about scientific progress, life and human rights during his opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and diplomats at the Élysée Palace.

He invoked France‘s „deep Christian roots“ and the recognition of human rights in warning about scientific progress and artificial intelligence.

„If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a ‘paradise of machines‘ invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good,“ he said.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was proclaimed here in Paris — and in the drafting of which the French jurist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate René Cassin played a leading role — sought to foster a broader awareness of the inalienable dignity of the human person. Saint John Paul II, who regarded the Declaration as “a real milestone on the path of the moral progress of humanity,” was well aware that “any threat to human rights, whether in the field of material realities or in that of spiritual realities, is equally dangerous for peace, since in every instance it concerns man in his entirety.”

The question of respect for human dignity and the fundamental rights and freedoms that derive from human nature is one that arises in every age and must necessarily keep pace with societal change and technological progress. To be sure, “over the centuries, technological development has significantly improved the living conditions of humanity. At the same time, each phase of progress has also revealed the ambiguity of tools that can cause harm when not oriented toward the good” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 4). In his own day, Georges Bernanos saw the threat that blind obedience and irresponsibility could lead to a “Paradise of Machines,” and pointed out that French civilization had instead sought for centuries to form free men and women who are fully responsible for their actions.

For this reason, I considered it essential to address the subject of Artificial Intelligence in my first Encyclical Letter, with the aim of making the human person once more the focal point of reflection. If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a “paradise of machines” invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good. This is indispensable if we are to recognize the genuine good that enables human beings to flourish in accordance with their primordial vocation, with unconditional respect for their interior freedom and their sacred dignity. Here, I would once more observe that “a truly free society does not impose uniformity but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting an ethical dialogue that enriches the social fabric” (Address to Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 9 January 2026).