Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that artificial intelligence cannot replicate the distinctly human qualities behind genuine art, calling on artists to help the Catholic Church protect creativity and human expression.

Speaking to artists and curators at the Vatican, Leo said there is an “ontological difference” between human-created art and material generated by machines through statistical calculations based on existing works.

“Algorithms lack the spark of the human,” the pope said, arguing that authentic art preserves something that artificial intelligence cannot reproduce.

Leo said the Church wants to “renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions” to safeguard what is human. He described art as more than entertainment, saying it can explore questions of meaning, beauty, justice and peace while resisting the tendency toward cultural homogenization.

The pope has increasingly made artificial intelligence a focus of his papacy, particularly over concerns about human dignity and the distinction between human capabilities and machine-generated output.

His latest remarks come as AI-generated images, video, and other creative works become increasingly common, raising ongoing debates over creativity, copyright, and the role of human artists.

Leo’s comments do not call for abandoning technology altogether. Instead, he is emphasizing the importance of preserving distinctly human creativity and ensuring that technological advances do not diminish the value of human culture and expression.