AI Pontificating
Pope Leo XIV has (lots of) words on the dangers of AI.
Monday, the pontiff released a 42,300-word encyclical (think: a letter about the Church’s stance on a topic) called “Magnifica Humanitas”—or, “Magnificent Humanity”—stressing humanity’s unique “capacity for relationship and love” in the AI era.
Leo likened AI to a modern-day Tower of Babel and drew parallels with the Industrial Revolution by releasing his document on the 135th anniversary of his namesake Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” which addressed workers’ dignity during the 1800s factory boom. The latest Leo focused on:
- protecting human dignity amid automation;
- retraining workers displaced by AI; and
- ensuring humans—not machines—retain control of weapons systems.
Anthropic’s Christopher Olah spoke at the Pope’s Vatican address (watch) and said AI firms need “moral voices” to help value people over profits.
__
PRAY WITH US
God of Wisdom, as our world rumbles with new power and opportunities from artificial intelligence, we ask you for wisdom. Give it to executives and elected officials to discern how technology can advance flourishing. Give it to individuals, families, and churches to use—and not be used by—these new tools. And may we always trust you as our ultimate source of wisdom.
Amen.
