AI is not wisdom – and is not strictly ‘intelligent’ either – and could hinder as well as help the education of young people. This is the gist of a stern warning by Pope Leo to the second Rome conference on ‘artificial intelligence’ in Rome, June 19-20 2025.

“All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development. Our youth must be helped, and not hindered, in their journey towards maturity and true responsibility. They are our hope for the future, and society’s well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities, and to respond to the demands of the times and the needs of others with a free and generous spirit. No generation has ever had such quick access to the amount of information now available through AI. But again, access to data — however extensive — must not be confused with intelligence, which necessarily “involves the person’s openness to the ultimate questions of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good” (Antiqua et Nova, No. 29). In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data.”

Pope Leo’s concerns were shared by many speakers at the Rome conference, even by representatives of some of the major AI firms such as Google and Open AI.

Echo

An especially striking echo came from Dr Elena Marconi, philosopher of education at Bologna University, who warned strongly against ‘outsourcing’ key human questions to machines.

“If we allow young people to grow up believing that every meaningful question has a ready-made answer generated by an algorithm, we risk dulling their capacity for wonder, for doubt, for the slow and sometimes painful work of forming convictions. Authentic intelligence is not about speed or certainty—it is about the courage to think for oneself, even when the answers are not clear.”

To read the full text of Pope Leo’s warning on AI click here.