AI has been made central to the papacy of Pope Leo XIV. In the very first major theological work of his time in office, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), Leo argues that control of AI must not fall into the hands of a few governments or tech companies.
The 235-page encyclical is not just about the technology itself; rather, it is a call to reassess power, war, morality, and humanity in the wake of rapid technological progress.
According to the pope, the influence of AI on human affairs is widespread; as such, it cannot be considered merely a neutral tool.
“We cannot consider AI to be morally neutral,” Leo declares. Indeed, all technological tools reflect the priorities, ethics, and morals of their creators.
Among many others, one of the key issues raised in the encyclical is that of warfare. The pope believes that AI technologies are exacerbating global conflicts and must be limited in ethical terms. This claim, however, goes beyond conventional moral considerations as Leo challenges the entire Christian tradition of “just war.”
The Vision of Pope Leo for Ethical AI and Global Peace
In the opinion of the pope, however, such an understanding of just war theory is no longer relevant in the modern age. The use of force is supposed to be limited to purely defensive actions by definition.
Leo asserts that violence and military power inflict tremendous harm upon civilians. He dismisses the notion of an eternal state of warfare. Instead, he emphasizes the need for dialogue, negotiation, and forgiveness.
The document was released in response to tensions that arose between the Vatican and certain politicians. For example, vice president of the United States, JD Vance, attacked the pontiff’s statements regarding the concept of war and theology.
However, the pope’s appeal transcends political arguments. He places AI into a broader context, discussing humanity’s ethical and moral responsibility during the latest technological revolution.
To illustrate his concerns, the pope makes references to the Tower of Babel mentioned in the Bible. In that tale, people strive to create one unified power center and speak one language, making their name known to others. It is the same idea that Leo applies to AI technology.
Safeguarding Human Dignity in the Technological Age
In fact, according to Leo, AI creation should involve numerous voices, cultures, communities, rather than be under control of a certain company, country or ideology.
The pontiff also sets down principles on which the use of AI should be built, including, among others, respect for human dignity, social justice, equality in resource sharing, ecological integrity, and strong legislative measures.
Regulations, independent evaluation and surveillance, competent consumers, and government responsibility instead of private companies’ rule are crucial.
Human work is also an important aspect that has been mentioned by the author. In particular, Leo argues that human labor should be safeguarded by the development of AI, since people are not expendable, and the economy should be adjusted to human interests rather than vice versa.
Furthermore, the encyclical also refutes certain concepts, such as transhumanism and posthumanism, which examine means by which human nature could be transcended due to technologies.
He challenges those ideas. The fundamental point that Leo makes in his speech is that humans have inherent dignity and worth that should not be stripped away by technology.
This was an unusual step by the Vatican because the Pope himself came to present the document along with Chris Olah, co-founder of the tech firm Anthropic, which specializes in AI. This indicates that the Vatican wishes to directly address AI researchers rather than simply offering an opinion on it.
Navigating the Ethical Future of AI
Chris Olah welcomed the involvement of the public in AI debates. If the question was left only to engineers, according to him, then it could force us into the “race to the bottom,” so the more we think about it on a civic and ethical level, the better.
Indeed, the Vatican has long been working on questions of AI. Late Pope Francis has mentioned AI during his talks at the G7 and mentioned such dangers as misinformation and deepfakes.
For America’s first pope, artificial intelligence is more than just a question of technology. It is an ethical and spiritual challenge, a social and political challenge.
The point that Pope Francis wants to make is simple and clear: artificial intelligence of the future should be decided neither through monopolistic interests nor through military interests, but rather through open discussion, ethical boundaries, and respect for human dignity.
Now it is up to us to determine whether this document will affect policy-making or will remain only a moral appeal.
