Pope Leo XIV Set to Unveil Groundbreaking AI Encyclical
Pope Leo XIV is poised to release his much-anticipated manifesto on artificial intelligence (AI) on Monday. This encyclical aims to tackle the ethical and societal dilemmas arising from the rapidly evolving technology that is reshaping the world.
The pontiff will personally preside over the presentation of “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity) at the Vatican—marking a historic first for the Catholic Church.
In attendance will be not only Holy See officials but also notable experts, including the co-founder of Anthropic, a significant player in the burgeoning AI sector.
Anthropic currently finds itself embroiled in a legal dispute with the U.S. military after its refusal to amend internal policies that prohibit the application of its Claude model for lethal autonomous engagements or mass surveillance.
Pope Leo has sharply criticized the militarization of AI, describing the act of “delegating decisions regarding human life and death to machines” as a perilous descent into a “destructive spiral.”
Since his election as the first U.S. pope a year ago, he has repeatedly issued warnings about the hazards of AI technology, including the notion that “reality may gradually be supplanted by its simulation.”
He has also condemned the “environmental devastation” stemming from the “frenzied competition” for rare earth elements, which are integral to modern electronics.
Call for Awareness
According to the United Nations, AI is projected to generate a staggering value of up to $4.8 trillion (4.13 trillion euros) by 2033, representing a twenty-fivefold increase in just a decade, while dissipating its profits among a select few.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned last year that “the window is closing to shape AI— for peace, for justice, for humanity.”
Pope Leo has established this pressing issue as a cornerstone of his papacy, dedicating his inaugural encyclical to it—a seminal document that will ground Church teachings and provoke long-term discourse.
Experts predict that “Magnifica Humanitas” may achieve the same level of influence as Pope Francis’s “Laudato Si,” a 2015 climate manifesto that ignited global political and civic responses.
The Vatican views this new encyclical as an extension of its social teachings focused on “safeguarding humanity in the age of AI.”
This document was signed on May 15, coinciding with the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, which established the foundations for the Church’s social doctrine during the Industrial Revolution.
Marijana Grbesa, a political science professor at the University of Zagreb and a speaker at an AI conference in the Vatican, remarked, “The Industrial Revolution altered the labor market, people’s existences, and the dynamics of power.”
She emphasized that just as individuals needed training to navigate new tools during that era, contemporary society similarly requires education and training today.
According to Grbesa, the pope will posit that “education alone is inadequate at present,” encapsulating this message as “a wake-up call for all of civilization” to exercise rationality in their use of these technological instruments.
Understanding Reality
Pope Leo has highlighted the imperative for “digital literacy… to comprehend how algorithms influence our perception of reality.”
In April, he cautioned against the use of AI to incite “polarization, conflict, fear, and violence.” Earlier in January, he lamented the “lack of transparency in the development of algorithms” that dictate the operation of various chatbots, whose usage is proliferating around the globe.
The debut of “Magnifica Humanitas” comes after extensive deliberations by the Church on AI technologies over several years.
As early as 2020, the Holy See initiated the “Rome Appeal for an AI Ethic,” advocating for new technologies to honor human dignity.
Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, also extensively addressed the subject, advocating for regulations on AI and warning of its potential to exacerbate societal inequalities.
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