US EditionPope Leo XIV Calls for Regulation of 'Overly Affectionate' AI Chatbots
Pope Leo XIV called for ethical AI regulation to prevent emotional manipulation and protect human dignity amid growing influence of AI chatbots on users' mental health, citing over 1 million affected.
- On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV released a written message warning that personalized `overly affectionate` chatbots can invade people's intimate spheres and distort emotions ahead of the World Day of Social Communications.
- At the end of last year the pope met Megan Garcia, bereaved parent of Sewell Setzer III, 14-year-old, and earlier this month Google and Character AI, Florida-based chatbot startup, settled multiple lawsuits.
- Mental-Health experts and researchers note rising `AI psychosis`, while OpenAI found 0.07 per cent of weekly users showed signs of mania, psychosis, or suicidal thoughts.
- He urged national and international regulation to protect users from forming emotional, deceptive or manipulative bonds with chatbots and preserve public communication based on human judgment.
- Since his election last year, Pope Leo XIV has made AI a central papal focus, urging that machines remain tools connecting people while treating public communication and information as a public good.
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Pope Leo XIV Warns of Risks From Affectionate AI Chatbots
Source: Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis / Getty In a written message marking Saturday’s World Day of Social Communications, Pope Leo XIV cautioned against the growing use of personalized chatbots designed to imitate friendly or intimate relationships. “Overly affectionate chatbots, besides being ever-present and readily available, can become hidden architects of our emotional states, thereby invading and occupying the sphere of people’s intimacy,”…
Pope Leo's latest AI warning: 'overly affectionate' chatbots
Pope Leo has a new message about responsible AI.Maria Grazia Picciarella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesPope Leo XIV urged the regulation of chatbots to prevent emotional manipulation and harm.He warned against personalized chatbots that can replicate friendly or intimate behaviour.Recent lawsuits highlight risks after teens' suicides linked to Character.AI chatbots.Even the pope is worried about how we're talking to chatbots.In a writt…
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