Critics of AI-generated art have a powerful new ally: Pope Leo XIV. In a recent post, the Pope highlighted the spiritual differences between human and machine-made art, urging the preservation of the former.

In a call to action, His Holiness wrote, 'There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others.' The Pope argued that algorithms simply cannot replicate the spark of humanity.

This isn’t the first time the Pope has addressed AI. In a May encyclical letter, he reaffirmed the importance of human dignity in a world becoming ever more automated. But the lobbying continues: according to a recent report, AI companies like Anthropic have been actively trying to sway the Pope's stance, finding little success.

For now, the Pope’s position is clear: AI art is not a replacement for the genuine article. 'In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgent to distinguish human art from what machines produce,' he wrote.