Spain's leaders promote AI ethics and digital inclusion at Pope Leon XIV reception

King Felipe VI used the welcome ceremony for Pope Leon XIV to stress that digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, must be accessible to all citizens. He called for democratic values, empathy and the placement of people at the centre of innovation.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, together with the Pope, presented Spain as a front‑line defender against what they termed “technofascism”. Sánchez reiterated a peace stance, opposing further military actions in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran, and quoted the Pope’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which warns that “artificial intelligence, without a human‑centred ethical framework, becomes a new idol of the powerful”.

The Spanish government announced the first European law banning the use of AI in lethal autonomous weapons and requiring ethical audits of algorithms, aligning with the Pope’s call for responsibility. Sánchez also introduced the “H‑Odio” initiative to curb hate speech and disinformation on major online platforms, aiming to protect democratic discourse.