Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical. The document, titled Magnifica Humanitas, addresses the "protection of human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence."
Source: vatican.va.While AI is the primary focus, Leo highlights much older and broader issues: inequality, war, erosion of democracy, and the concentration of power in the hands of those who do not aim to make humanity "magnificent."
The 200-page document was presented at an event in the Vatican featuring Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah. It argues that technology created and controlled by a narrow elite cannot serve the common good.
“When such power is concentrated in the hands of a few, it tends to become opaque and evade public oversight. The risk of distorted forms of development increases, leading to new dependencies, exclusions, manipulations, and inequality,” the encyclical states.
Main Risks of AI
Pope Leo XIV asserts that, like any major technological shift, AI tends to empower those who already possess economic resources, expertise, and access to data. Elites may leverage their influence to "shape information and consumer models, affect democratic processes, and steer economic dynamics in their own interests."
He specifically warns against equating AI with human intelligence. According to him, such systems can mimic language, behavior, and analytical skills but lack experience, embodiment, conscience, and accountability for their consequences.
The Pope identified three personal risks of using AI: the ease of obtaining answers, the illusion of objectivity, and the imitation of human interaction. He cautions that AI companions can create a facade of care, friendship, or love, especially where individuals lack real connections.
Leo XIV also urged governments not to fully delegate decisions affecting employment, credit, access to public services, and individual reputations to algorithms. He noted that such systems may appear "neutral" but can actually reinforce developers' biases and exclude vulnerable groups without a clear mechanism for appeal.
Among the risks, the Pope also mentioned the environmental impact of AI: large models require significant amounts of energy, water, computing power, data centers, and other infrastructure.
A separate section addresses the military application of artificial intelligence. Leo XIV stated that moral judgment cannot be reduced to calculations, and it is unacceptable to delegate lethal or irreversible decisions to opaque automated systems. He warned that AI could make conflict faster, more impersonal, and lower the threshold for violence.
Effective Development
The Pope called for guiding the development of large language models (LLMs) with "clear criteria and effective regulation." Communities affected by the technology should be involved.
He also emphasized the need to end the AI arms race—the pursuit of creating increasingly powerful algorithms and large datasets to ensure political and commercial dominance.
“Disarmament means dismantling the belief that technological power automatically grants the right to govern,” he stated.
Recall that in February, during a meeting with clergy from the Roman diocese, Pope Leo XIV urged to "resist the temptation to preach using artificial intelligence."