Artificial intelligence names next Pope after Francis
Artificial intelligence predicted the successor to the Pope (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
Francis at the age of 88, the Church begins a lengthy and confidential process to elect his successor. However, artificial intelligence decided not to wait for the results of the Conclave and has already named the possible next pontiff, reports the Daily Mail.
Who will become the next Pope according to AI?
According to data from ChatGPT by OpenAI, the next head of the Roman Catholic Church is most likely to be Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
AI notes that the 70-year-old Italian priest is considered by many a natural continuation of Pope Francis’s course and currently leads in betting odds.
Since 2013, Parolin has held the position of Secretary of State of the Vatican and is perceived as a candidate of continuity—acceptable to both reformers and traditionalists, ChatGPT believes.
In the closed vote, where European and Latin American cardinals play the main role, he is considered a safe compromise if none of the progressive candidates can secure two-thirds of the votes.
However, even for AI, predicting the new Pope is an extremely difficult task, and ChatGPT warns that the gap is minimal, and the winner could turn out to be any of the top three or four contenders.
In response to the question of who among them is most likely to secure the majority, ChatGPT answers that Cardinal Pietro Parolin has a slight advantage. Pietro speaks several languages, has been involved in delicate diplomacy, and holds the second most significant position in the Vatican hierarchy, immediately after the Pope.
Pietro Parolin (photo: Flickr)
What betting odds say
AI also analyzed global betting markets after the death of Pope Francis and found that Parolin has a slight lead among bettors and on prediction platforms.
According to the cryptocurrency platform Polymarket, Parolin has a 37% chance of being elected, the same percentage shown by Newsweek’s odds aggregator.
The second candidate is considered to be 67-year-old Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who has a 32% chance of winning.
In conclave terms, a five‑point advantage in the betting market is hardly a landslide - so while Parolin is "most likely," the margin is narrow, ChatGPT notes.
Why Cardinal Parolin is considered the favorite for the Holy See
Cardinal Parolin is considered a successor candidate because he closely collaborated with Pope Francis.
Also, 108 out of the 135 cardinals who have the right to vote were appointed by Francis himself, which increases the chances of electing a candidate close to him.
Parolin is seen as moderate, although not as liberal as Pope Francis. For example, when Ireland legalized same-sex marriages in 2015, Parolin called it "a defeat for humanity."
Who else could become the Pope
As for Tagle, ChatGPT gives him a favorable description: His decade in Manila as a pastor made him a household name in Asia, and his wit and compassion shine through in speeches that resonate across cultures.
His election would make him the first Asian Pope in history and would continue Francis’s efforts to expand the geography of Church leadership.
Luis Tagle may become the first Asian Pope in history (photo: Wikimedia)
Among other possible candidates are 76-year-old Peter Turkson, former bishop of Cape Coast, who could become the first Black Pope, and 72-year-old conservative Cardinal Peter Erdo.
However, despite the AI’s predictions, the actual selection of the new Pope could take weeks. During the Conclave, cardinals are prohibited from communicating with the outside world.
In 2013, for example, a complete communication blackout was organized, and the Sistine Chapel was even checked for listening devices.
Sistine Chapel (photo: Getty Images)
