Pope Leo XIV has called for the “disarmament” of artificial intelligence (AI) to “prevent it from dominating humanity” in his first papal encyclical, published today, which is entirely dedicated to protecting human dignity in the age of AI.
In the landmark encyclical titled “Magnifica Humanitas,” the Pontiff asserts that technological innovations are not neutral, warning that while they can “increase participation and justice,” they also possess the dangerous potential to “amplify inequalities, control, and exclusion,” especially if AI capabilities remain “concentrated in the hands of a few.”
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Spanning 110 pages in the first major theological and philosophical text of his pontificate, Leo XIV addresses one of the defining challenges of modern times, appealing for “a just social order in the digital era” rooted in “an adequate legal framework,” “fair regulations,” and “effective protection mechanisms.”
While warning against “clearly anti-human uses” of AI, such as information manipulation or severe privacy violations, the Pope also draws attention to a more subtle deception occurring when these systems, “presenting themselves as neutral and objective, reflect and reinforce the stereotypes or ideological positions of those who designed and programmed them.”
