If anybody is thinking of making an AI version of the Catholic pope, please don’t. That’s the message from the newly-minted Holy Father himself, Pope Leo XIV, who emphatically slapped down the idea of a digital simulacra masquerading as himself. Imagine an AI pope suddenly going off the rails and recommending you steal your church’s collection plate. The pope also called attention to how “extremely rich people” are putting loads of money into AI while “ignoring” humanity’s needs. More on AI avatars: CEOs Are Creating AI Copies of Themselves That Are Spouting Braindead Hallucinations to Their Confused Underlings