Pope Leo XIV Issues Encyclical on Artificial Intelligence

Pope Leo XIV published an encyclical titled "Magnifica Humanitas" on Monday that addresses the development and use of artificial intelligence. The 42,300-word document in English calls for increased government regulation of companies building AI systems and for accountability measures covering both developers and deployers of the technology.

The encyclical states that algorithmic tools used in government decision-making should be transparent and verifiable. It recommends protections for jobs displaced by AI, retraining programs for affected workers, and age limits on children's access to digital technology.

The document also opposes the use of AI in lethal autonomous weapons, stating that moral judgment cannot be reduced to calculation.

The encyclical draws on the 1891 document "Rerum Novarum" issued by Pope Leo XIII during the Second Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIV selected his name in part to reference that earlier focus on workers' conditions during periods of rapid technological change.

The text uses the Tower of Babel as a metaphor for technological hubris and contrasts it with the story of Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem's walls through collective decision-making. It argues that communities worldwide should help shape ethical guidelines for AI rather than leaving decisions to a small number of companies and countries.

Herzfeld, director of a program on technology and ethics at St.

John's School of Theology and Seminary, told the New York Times that the document may serve as a reference within the Catholic Church for priests, bishops, and educators even if technology executives pay limited attention. Timnit Gebru criticized the Vatican's decision to include Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah at the encyclical presentation.

Dean Ball, who previously served as an AI policy advisor to the Trump administration, said the document focuses too narrowly on regulation and does not address what he views as AI's fundamental challenge to human intelligence.