VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV issued a comprehensive manifesto on Monday, advocating for robust regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and urging its developers to prioritize the common good over mere profit. This significant call comes as AI profoundly impacts various aspects of human life, from daily work to modern warfare, underscoring the necessity of safeguarding humankind.
“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), Leo’s inaugural encyclical, has been highly anticipated. The first US-born pontiff announced shortly after his election that he considered artificial intelligence to be the foremost challenge confronting humanity today, setting high expectations for this document.
Within the text, Pope Leo XIV strongly condemned the “culture of power” fueling the global AI race, particularly its drive towards developing increasingly sophisticated remote warfare technologies. He unequivocally stated that entrusting irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems is “not permissible.” This stance creates a notable point of contention between the American pontiff and the Trump administration, which has actively pursued deregulation in AI development.
Experts across the tech industry, academia, and Catholic morality foresee this document becoming a pivotal benchmark in the ongoing AI debate. It is expected to serve as a crucial reference point for policymakers, researchers, and the general public alike, especially as rapid technological advancements raise increasing concerns about AI’s potential to replace human jobs and even human intelligence itself.
“It lends itself to people who are at the forefront of these tools and able to see the incredible things that they’re able to do, to have questions about their own ‘What does it mean to be human?’” said Taylor Black, a Microsoft AI executive and director of Catholic University of America’s AI institute.
Despite his criticisms, the Pope hosted Anthropic’s co-founder at the Vatican launch of the encyclical on Monday. Anthropic is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with the Trump administration regarding access to its AI technology. The Vatican’s decision to involve Anthropic aligns with its decade-long initiative to foster dialogue with Silicon Valley concerning the human implications and ethical costs of AI.
Nevertheless, in “Magnifica Humanitas,” Leo repeatedly highlighted the dangers of concentrating power and data in the hands of a select few private sector entities, particularly for children and vulnerable populations. He called for external regulation of their work, emphasizing the need for accountability beyond internal ethics.
“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote. “A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few.” Pope Leo urged AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulation to pause, reflect deeply on their actions, and adopt ethical and spiritual guidelines. He encouraged them to work not for personal profit or power, but for the genuine betterment of humanity.
Leading AI competitors, OpenAI and Anthropic, stand as the second- and third-most valuable US private companies, each boasting valuations in the hundreds of billions of dollars, surpassing the GDP of many nations.
Christopher Olah, Anthropic’s co-founder, welcomed Pope Leo’s critique and concerns. He stated that such external scrutiny of AI and the researchers behind it is fundamental for the technology to “go well” for humankind, given the immense stakes involved, including “a real possibility that AI will displace human labor at a very large scale.”
“We need more of the world — religious communities, civil society, scholars, governments — to do what His Holiness has done here: to take this seriously, to look closely, and to push events in a better direction,” Olah said. “We need informed critics who will tell the labs when we are failing. We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend.”
Experts widely predict that Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical will emerge as a definitive benchmark document. In a meticulously structured text, the pontiff, a former math major, meticulously traced the historical trajectory of the Catholic Church’s social teaching. He then skillfully applied its foundational concepts — justice, solidarity, the dignity of work, and the universal destination of resources — to the complexities of the digital revolution.
“I am convinced that this will prove to be a defining document for our era, a profound and prophetic document,” said Paolo Carozza, law professor at Notre Dame Law School and chair of the Meta oversight board.
“Pope Leo is offering a clear, comprehensive, and coherent voice urging us to take responsibility for constructing a world in which technology will serve humans rather than degrade them,” he said.
In its most forceful chapters, Leo directly addressed how AI has contributed to the “normalization of war,” desensitizing individuals to its devastating human cost. While not naming specific conflicts, he referenced “opposing imperialisms, between powers that wish to preserve their supremacy, and those that aspire to seize that supremacy.”
He further demanded absolute transparency and accountability from AI developers to ensure that the chain of decision-making command in ordering strikes with AI weaponry is always identifiable. Notably, he declared that the Catholic Church’s traditional “just war” theory, which outlines specific criteria for the ethical justification of force, is now “outdated” given the radical technological advances in modern warfare.
This significant text firmly aligns with the church’s rich social justice tradition. Pope Leo XIV signed the encyclical on May 15, marking the 135th anniversary of “Rerum Novarum” (Of New Things), the landmark teaching document by his revered hero and namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That foundational document addressed workers’ rights, the limitations of capitalism, and the obligations of states and employers towards laborers during the peak of the Industrial Revolution.
“Rerum Novarum” became the bedrock of modern Catholic social thought. The current pontiff cited it at the beginning of his papacy, drawing parallels to the AI revolution, which he believes poses existential questions akin to those raised by the Industrial Revolution over a century ago. “Magnifica Humanitas” thus stands as the latest chapter in a century-long legacy of popes adapting “Rerum Novarum” to contemporary social issues, frequently emphasizing the crucial importance of the dignity of work for human flourishing.
Artificial intelligence currently evokes both profound existential fears and ambitious utopian visions, fueling an intensifying global debate. The central question remains whether AI will ultimately become a powerful catalyst that enriches humanity or a technological toxin that diminishes human intelligence while eliminating millions of high-paying jobs.
“The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good,” Leo wrote.
Extending his commitment to upholding human dignity in labor, Pope Leo XIV issued an unprecedented papal apology. He acknowledged the Holy See’s historical role in legitimizing slavery by granting European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels,” marking a significant moment of reconciliation.
The Vatican’s engagement with Silicon Valley has spanned over a decade, culminating in this encyclical. While Vatican officials refrained from disclosing specific contributors to Leo’s encyclical, both Vatican and church leaders have actively participated in a continuous dialogue with major tech firms. Towards the end of his pontificate, Pope Francis increasingly spoke out about AI and the potential risks it poses to humanity.
However, the decision to include Anthropic at the Vatican launch generated some criticism, with some perceiving it as a papal endorsement of the AI firm.
In February, the Trump administration mandated that all US agencies cease using Anthropic’s technology after the company refused to grant the US military unrestricted access. Anthropic, which proudly positions itself as an AI company prioritizing safety and risk-mitigation in its research, is currently pursuing legal action against the administration.
Brian Boyd, the US faith liaison for the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, interpreted the inclusion of Anthropic’s co-founder, Olah, as akin to a papal audience with a head of state: a recognition, not necessarily an endorsement.
“I think it’s more like a recognition of (how) this is an extremely powerful company that’s currently winning this race to replace human workers,” Boyd said.
Anthropic is an “enormous corporation that is taking onto itself an enormous risk and responsibility,” Boyd continued, but said the company has “demonstrated genuine goodwill and integrity and interest in dialogue.”
