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Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical uses AI as a lens to diagnose older problems: concentrated power, eroding democracy, and a tech elite that shapes the world to its own advantage.
Read full articlePope Leo XIV presented his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” in which he outlined his desire to protect human dignity and agency in an age when technology threatens to replace people in many professional and social roles.
Pope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first Encyclical Letter "Magnifica humanitas" on May 25, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. | Getty Images Pope Leo XIV warned of the risks of AI and unconstrained technological power in his first major papal document released on Monday. Magnifica Humanitas is the pope's manifesto on "safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence," in which he discusses the dangers of AI-powered warfare, the effects of AI on labor, and the need for new legal and ethical frameworks to govern technology. In his papal encyclical - a kind of open letter from the Catholic Church - Pope Leo stressed the economic and social upheaval that rapid AI adoption is creating, with inadequate protections for individuals that threaten human dignity. He com … Read the full story at The Verge.
Pope Leo XIV called Monday for robust regulation of AI and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit, issuing a sweeping manifesto on safeguarding humankind.
Welcome to AI Insider’s The Week Ahead in AI. See the key developments and events we’re watching May 24- 30. Weekend AI News Briefs Pope Leo Will Take on AI Alongside an Anthropic Co-Founder Pope Leo XIV is set to release his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on May 25 focused on safeguarding human dignity in the […]
Pontiff calls for ‘most rigorous’ ethical constraints on tech and apologises for church’s delay in condemning slavery Pope Leo has denounced the “culture of power” driving the rapid rise of artificial intelligence while warning that the technology must be subject to the “most rigorous” ethical constraints as it infiltrates everything from work to war. In his encyclical – the first major text on safeguarding humankind of his papacy – Leo, the first US-born pontiff, also apologised for the Catholic church’s long delay in condemning slavery, describing it as “a wound in Christian memory”, while warning about the “new forms of slavery” due to the digital economy. Continue reading...
The document marks a powerful foray by the leader of the Roman Catholic church into the debate about the misuse or overuse of artificial intelligence.
Leo XIV is to issue his thoughts about artificial intelligence in the modern world, using a centuries-old form of papal communication called an encyclical, the first since he became pope.
Pope Leo XIV will publish on Monday his long-awaited manifesto on artificial intelligence, outlining the Catholic Church’s response to the technology’s ethical and social challenges. The U.S.-born pontiff will personally present the “Magnifica Humanitas” encyclical at the Vatican alongside senior Church officials and leading AI experts, including Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei.
