The Pope's AI advisor says the technology can be worse for kids than cocaine

Business Insider | 18-09-2026 07:21pm |

Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar and AI advisor to the pope, warned that AI's impact on young people could be worse than addiction to nicotine, sugar, or cocaine. In an interview with BBC's Newsnight, he described AI technologies as potential 'super manipulation tools' that can emotionally bend young adults and children. Benanti teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University and is part of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Pope Leo has made AI a central concern of his pontificate.

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