Pope Leo XIV Challenges Youth at NCYC to Choose Wisdom Over Algorithms
▼ Summary
– Pope Leo XIV addressed American teenagers at the National Catholic Youth Conference via livestream, focusing on AI’s impact on humanity.
– He emphasized that AI can process information but cannot replicate human intelligence, wisdom, or moral judgment.
– The Pope urged youth to guard their human growth, ensuring they can think, create, and form friendships independently of technology.
– His message highlighted the importance of authentic relationships and the capacity for wonder, which AI lacks.
– This intervention targets digital natives directly, encouraging prudent and wise use of AI without relying on it for essential human experiences.
In a striking moment of connection bridging the Vatican and Indianapolis, Pope Leo XIV addressed thousands of American teenagers this Friday, turning a livestreamed Q&A into a profound lesson on the digital age. The setting was the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), a massive gathering known for its high energy, but the room fell silent as the Pontiff steered the conversation toward one of the most pressing issues facing their generation: the role of artificial intelligence in defining what it means to be human.
The Pope’s message was not a rejection of technology but a call to digital wisdom. He bypassed the usual technical jargon to focus on the spiritual and relational cost of outsourcing our minds to algorithms. Speaking directly to students who navigate a world increasingly mediated by screens, he drew a sharp line between data processing and true understanding. The Pontiff urged the young audience to guard their human intelligence against the temptation of convenience, reminding them that the “unique gift” of their personhood is something no software can replicate.
During the broadcast, Pope Leo delivered a powerful mandate that resonated well beyond the convention hall. “AI can process information quickly, but it cannot replace human intelligence,” he cautioned. “And don’t ask it to do your homework for you. It cannot offer real wisdom. It misses a very important human element. AI will not judge between what is truly right and what is wrong, and it won’t stand in wonder, in authentic wonder, before the beauty, the beauty of God’s creation. So be prudent, be wise, be careful that your use of AI does not limit your true human growth. Use it in such a way that if it disappeared tomorrow, you would still know how to think, how to create, how to act on your own, how to form authentic friendships.”
Remember, AI can never replace the unique gift that you are to the world.
This intervention comes at a critical time when ethical AI use is dominating global debate. Yet, rather than appealing to regulators or tech giants, the Pope took his case to the users themselves, the digital natives. His words serve as a reminder that authentic relationships and the capacity for wonder are not obsolete features of a past era, but essential components of a healthy future. For the youth at NCYC, the challenge is now to navigate their hyper-connected reality without losing the ability to think, act, and love on their own terms.
This video provides Full Pope Leo XIV’s LIVE Digital Encounter with U.S. Youth | NCYC | November 21, 2025.
