Pope Leo XIV to Present First Encyclical on Artificial Intelligence

Pope Leo XIV will present the first encyclical letter of his papacy on artificial intelligence at the Vatican on May 25. The document, titled “Magnifica humanitas,” will address preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, the Church said Monday morning. Popes typically issue a few encyclical letters during their tenures to offer guidance on Church teachings.

Leo will present the encyclical alongside multiple speakers, including cardinals, academics and Chris Olah, who co-founded Anthropic in 2021 with six other former OpenAI employees and serves as a lead researcher. Olah is worth $7 billion, according to Forbes estimates.

It is not yet clear what the pope’s letter will say. Leo has offered critiques of AI in the past, warning in previous remarks that the technology cannot replace human intelligence and cannot judge between right and wrong. Days earlier, the Vatican announced Leo had created a study group on AI ahead of his encyclical to examine the technology’s potential effects on human beings and the Church’s concern for the dignity of every human being.

Olah has previously criticized President Trump, acknowledging in a January post on X that the administration’s immigration raids shock the conscience. He stays out of politics, according to the post. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a February blog post he opposes the Defense Department’s use of Anthropic technology for mass domestic surveillance and to power fully autonomous weapons.

The post prompted a swift rebuke from Trump, who called Anthropic a radical left, woke company and ordered federal agencies to stop using its technology.