Pope Leo XIV says AI must serve humanity, not the powerful few

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In his first encyclical on Monday (May 25), Pope Leo XIV directly addressed the power of Big Tech, warning that artificial intelligence poses risks to widening inequality, weakening democracy, and undermining the essence of what it means to be human.

The 83-page papal teaching document, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), positions AI as the new industrial revolution and calls for “disarming AI” by removing it from military and economic interests, subjecting AI companies to stricter state and international regulations, and encouraging broad participation from individuals and communities in shaping the future of this rapidly advancing technology.

“Disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed’ competition, which today extends beyond the military context to encompass economic and cognitive dimensions,” Leo wrote. “Disarming does not mean abandoning technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity,” he added.

“For this reason, mere regulation is insufficient; it must be disarmed, welcoming, and accessible,” the document states.

Leo also addressed Big Tech in the document, highlighting the dangers of a few wealthy individuals influencing the future and livelihood of humanity, thereby widening the gap between those who can participate in the digital revolution and those left behind.

“AI tends to amplify the power of those who already have economic resources, expertise, and access to data,” he wrote. “Small but highly influential groups can shape information and consumption patterns, influence democratic processes, and steer economic dynamics to their advantage, undermining social justice and solidarity among peoples.”

Pope Leo presented the encyclical on Monday at the Vatican’s Synod Hall, referencing the 1891 encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’ (On New Things), written by his predecessor Pope Leo XIII to address the challenges of the 19th-century industrial revolution.

“I feel entrusted to oversee another great transformation through the eyes of faith, with the clarity of reason, and with openness to the divine mystery, with the cries of the poor and earth resonating in my heart,” Leo said, noting that the encyclical resulted from deep consultations with scientists and engineers, political leaders and public officials, parents and teachers deeply concerned about the future of future generations.

“Disarming is not enough, we must build,” he added, calling for broad participation in the development, regulation, and benefits of AI.

Chris Olah during a podcast appearance in 2024. (Video screen grab)

The pope presented the document alongside high-ranking Vatican prelates, Catholic theologians, and Chris Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, the American AI company behind Claude, which aims to position itself as safety-oriented and ethical.

Speaking at the event, Olah noted that AI development “operates within a set of incentives and constraints that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing,” citing commercial concerns, geopolitical pressures, and pride and ambition.

For that reason, he said, “we need more of the world – religious communities, civil society, scholars, governments – to do what His Holiness has done here: to take this seriously, to look closely, and to push events in a better direction.”

At the core of the encyclical is the insistence that human beings take precedence over artificial intelligence. The dignity of the human person “does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth, or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made,” but simply by virtue of existence, the encyclical argues.

In an era of AI chatbots, Leo wrote that the risk is not just that someone interacting with an AI agent might believe they are talking to a person, but that they might lose the desire to engage with others at all. Delegating decision-making to machines may “encourage excessive reliance and the search for ready-made answers, and weaken personal creativity and judgment.”

In the document, the pope acknowledges the positive impact AI innovation can have on human society and environmental care, while also warning of its dangers. “Technology is never neutral,” Leo wrote, adding that it reflects the interests and stakeholders behind it.

“When such power is concentrated in the hands of a few, it tends to become opaque and evade public oversight, increasing the risk of distorted forms of development that lead to new dependencies, exclusions, manipulations, and inequalities,” Leo wrote.

Pope Leo XIV arrives at the swearing-in ceremony for 28 new Pontifical Swiss Guards in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Leo argued that moral and ethical principles must be applied to AI models during their construction, not after they have caused harm. “For AI to respect human dignity and truly serve the common good, responsibility must be clearly defined at every stage: from those who design and develop these systems to those who use them and rely on them for concrete decisions,” he wrote.

Responding to executives who resist restrictions on AI development, Leo explained that “calling for prudence, rigorous evaluation, and even, at times, a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress; instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family.”

In recognition of AI models that have adopted ethical constitutions—such as Anthropic—the pope stated that such frameworks must still be discussed and held to standards of shared social justice. “A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few,” he wrote.

The document also addresses popular Silicon Valley philosophies, transhumanism, and posthumanism, which the pope defined as a series of assumptions “that interpret progress as surpassing the human condition.”

These philosophies view limitations—such as illness, disability, old age, and vulnerability—as obstacles to overcome, Leo wrote, but “we must remember that humanity thrives not _despite_ limitations, but often through them,” adding that a life without limitations would ultimately mean not being human.

Víctor Manuel Fernández, who heads the Vatican’s doctrinal department, said at the presentation of the document that unlike these philosophies, which claim “that humanity has reached its expiration date and must simply be replaced,” Catholic teaching believes that “every human being has infinite dignity.”

In contrasting the dangers of AI, Leo highlighted truth as “an essential element of democracy” and called for people to receive education on AI, especially the young. While AI promises to reduce the burdens of work, Leo warned that “it frequently forces workers to adapt to the speed and demands of machines, rather than machines being designed to support those who work.”

In this fourth industrial revolution, the priority must be “the protection of employment opportunities and the irreplaceable role of the individual,” Leo wrote.

As global economic disparities grow, the pope warned that “technological progress will inevitably produce structural inequalities.” Leo called for tax systems that ease the burden on the most vulnerable and demand more from those with greater resources, while the benefits of innovations should be transparent and shared with the entire community.

The pope warned against “new forms of slavery,” highlighting the trail of human and environmental exploitation behind AI—from models trained on copyrighted material to the extraction of rare minerals used in AI hardware. Leo also reflected on the history of the church’s behavior toward slavery, which was not fully condemned until the 19th century by Leo XIII, highlighting the slow evolution of Catholic doctrine over time.

“For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon,” Leo wrote.

People greet Pope Leo XIV upon his arrival in Yaounde, Cameroon, April 15, 2026, on the third day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

There is a “new face” of colonialism, Leo argued, which does not only dominate bodies but also appropriates data: health flows, epidemiological profiles, genetic maps, and demographic data. “These have become the new rare earths of power,” Leo said, adding that AI technology in the hands of a few, profit-oriented individuals or groups represents a new form of colonial dominion.

“Here lies one of the most urgent moral challenges of our time: to ensure that shared knowledge becomes a true common good rather than an instrument of dominance. This requires restoring to individuals not only the data that describes them, but also the ability to decide how it is used, by whom, and for whose benefit,” he wrote.

A significant portion of the document reflects on the topic of war, which the pope has repeatedly denounced in his first year as pontiff. The military use of AI “must be subject to the most rigorous ethical constraints,” he wrote, adding that responsibility for military and especially lethal action should remain with human beings, not machines.

He called for traceability within the decision-making processes of warfare, for human oversight, and for the creation of international laws to address the increased use of automated weapons and their consequences.

The document is based on the contributions of past pontiffs, starting with Pope Leo XIII, and draws on Catholic social teaching, the church’s tradition of applying moral principles to social, economic, and political life, with human dignity and the common good at its center.

Solidarity and caring for one’s “neighbor” are key aspects of Leo’s reflection, with particular concern for the next generations.

Social justice “is not merely about the fairer distribution of resources or the correction of current injustices, but also assumes a restorative dimension,” Leo wrote. Applying the same principle to the digital realm, the pope warned against “new forms of exclusion and deprivation of freedoms,” such as invasive surveillance, communities denied access to basic technologies, and groups harmed by opaque algorithms that perpetuate discrimination.

In this context, he also addressed migration as a “litmus test for social justice today.”

In the introduction, Leo draws from the Bible to juxtapose the city of Babel, with its pursuit of power and self-sufficiency, and Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem, oriented on prayer and the participation of families and communities. This reflects the teachings of the pope’s religious order, founded on the principles of St. Augustine, that contrast love for the earthly city, structured around concepts of power and dominance, with the longing for the heavenly city of God.

“As throughout history, these two loves continue to contend for dominance in our hearts today. The age of AI is no exception: the construction of Babel or the rebuilding of Jerusalem begins within each one of us,” he wrote.

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The document has already received strong endorsement from Catholics and tech experts.

“This is a landmark opportunity for the world to look at a new technology and really think about what it is for,” said Brian Patrick Green, director of technology ethics at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

What is the purpose of this technology? What role is it meant to play in the world? How can it benefit people? What steps do we need to take to ensure that this technology serves the greatest number of people to the best of its ability?

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_This story will be updated._