Pope Leo XIV is warning his flock about overly “affectionate” chatbots, urging regulation to prevent humans from forming serious emotional bonds with their AI companions. Writing in a message ahead of the Catholic Church’s annual World Day of Social Communications, the Pope warned that AI risked diluting human creativity and decision-making. "As we scroll through our information feeds, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand whether we are interacting with other human beings, bots, or virtual influencers. Because chatbots that are made overly 'affectionate,' in addition to always present and available, can become hidden architects of our emotional states, and in this way invade and occupy people’s intimate spheres," he added.
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