Pope Leo XIV Urges Strong AI Regulation in First Major Encyclical
Pope Leo XIV releases "Magnifica Humanitas," a sweeping theological text calling for ethical oversight and slower adoption of artificial intelligence. The pope compares the AI revolution to the Industrial Revolution addressed by his namesake over a century ago.
Pope Leo XIV issues "Magnifica Humanitas," his first major encyclical, warning the world about the growing power of artificial intelligence. The 42,300-word text serves as a sweeping appeal to defend humanity in a rapidly automating world, urging governments, corporations, and individuals to ensure AI remains subject to strict ethical and political oversight. He presents this document at the Vatican alongside Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah to symbolize a dialogue between Church leadership and the AI industry.
The pope clarifies in the encyclical that he does not oppose technological innovation, stating that technology itself is not inherently antagonistic to humanity. However, he warns that without stronger safeguards, artificial intelligence deepens inequality, weakens human agency, and shifts critical decisions out of human hands. He argues that calling for prudence, rigorous evaluation, and a slower pace of AI adoption is an exercise of responsible care rather than an opposition to progress.
This focus on artificial intelligence reflects a central theme of his papacy, as he consistently highlights the technology's risks to human dignity, justice, and labor. Pope Leo explicitly draws a connection between the current AI boom and the Industrial Revolution by taking his name from Pope Leo XIII, who wrote the landmark 1891 encyclical "Rerum Novarum" on labor rights. He describes the rise of AI as a "new industrial revolution" that requires a similarly robust moral response.