In the homily of the central Mass in Caacupé, Bishop Ricardo Valenzuela read a letter from Pope Leo XIV that warns about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life. The pontiff highlighted four central points about the impact of these technologies on society and, especially, on human relationships.
“The pope emphasizes that the face and voice are unique traits that reveal each person’s identity and are the foundations of authentic encounters,” Valenzuela said, referring to the first point of the letter, focused on the unrepeatable identity of each human being.
The bishop questioned relationships built exclusively through technological devices. “Relationships that are carried out only by phone, without seeing each other, become tiring. That is not what is desired. Love requires presence. I want to hear your voice, I want to see you, I want to see your eyes,” he declared.
Valenzuela also mentioned the Pope’s criticism of generative AI, which warns about the risk of people becoming “passive consumers of unthought thoughts.” “It denounces the possibility of the creative industry being replaced by products made with artificial intelligence. Man no longer does it, but the machine does,” he explained.
Another highlighted point was the risk of emotional simulation through programs designed to maintain human conversations. The Pope expressed concern about chat systems capable of emotionally manipulating users and weakening real relationships. “One speaks with the machine and nothing more. But we need to see the other, ask why they make that face, why they laugh or why they are serious. The machine does not do that,” said the bishop.
Finally, Valenzuela mentioned the warning about the “oligopolistic control” of AI, pointing out the danger that few technological systems could direct human behavior or even “rewrite history” without people noticing. As a response, the Pope proposes pillars such as responsibility, transparency, honesty, and the right of citizens to receive truthful and clear information about the functioning and use of these tools.