Pope Leo XIV warns AI could threaten human dignity
Pope Leo XIV (photo: Getty Images)
Pope Leo XIV has released his first encyclical focused on the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity. The pontiff called for ensuring that technology serves humanity rather than concentrating power in the hands of a few, The Vatican News reports.
The encyclical is titled Magnifica humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) and was published on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum novarum — a landmark social document of the Catholic Church from the time of the Industrial Revolution.
The new pontiff drew a parallel between the changes of that era and the modern age of artificial intelligence. In the text, Leo XIV emphasizes that technologies are not evil in themselves, but they are never neutral, since they reflect the goals and values of those who create, finance, and control them.
The Pope warned about the dangers of the "technocratic paradigm," in which efficiency and profit become the primary criteria for decision-making. According to him, artificial intelligence may be capable of imitating humans, but it lacks moral consciousness, empathy, and spirituality.
The head of the Catholic Church paid special attention to the military use of AI. He called for disarming artificial intelligence by freeing it from the logic of war, domination, and competition. In Leo XIV's opinion, technological power should not automatically grant the right to govern people.
The pontiff also supported the creation of international rules and independent oversight for AI development, as well as the protection of workers from mass displacement due to automation. He stressed that digital technologies should serve the common good, not the interests of a narrow circle of corporations.
In the document, Leo XIV called for protecting truth and fighting disinformation, as well as supporting education and critical thinking among young people amid the rapid development of digital technologies.
Pope Leo XIV will create an artificial intelligence commission — a new Vatican body whose goal will be to coordinate the Catholic Church's actions regarding AI.
