Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical on Monday, demanding robust regulation of artificial intelligence and condemning the 'culture of power' driving its development. The document, titled 'Magnifica Humanitas,' specifically targets AI-driven remote warfare and the concentration of data in private hands. Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah welcomed the critique, saying external checks are fundamental to AI 'going well' for humankind.
The encyclical, one of the most authoritative teaching documents a pope can issue, was presented at a special Vatican event that included Olah. His company, Anthropic, is currently locked in a legal battle with the Trump administration over access to its AI technology. The Vatican's decision to involve Anthropic reflects a decade-long effort to engage Silicon Valley in dialogue over the human cost of AI, the Times of Israel reported.
Leo's text repeatedly blasted the concentration of power and data in the hands of a few private-sector actors. 'It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,' he wrote. The pope declared it 'not permissible' to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems. That stance puts him directly at odds with the Trump administration.
Washington has aggressively moved to deregulate AI development. The pope's call for external regulation and disarmament of AI weaponry creates a new flashpoint between the Holy See and the White House. Olah did not shy away from the tension. '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,' he said. 'We need informed critics who will tell the labs when we are failing.
We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend.'
Taylor Black, a Microsoft AI executive and director of Catholic University of America's AI institute, said the document would become a benchmark. 'It lends itself to people who are at the forefront of these tools and able to see the incredible things that they're able to do, to have questions about their own "What does it mean to be human?"' Black told the Times of Israel. The encyclical traces the history of Catholic social teaching and applies its core concepts — justice, solidarity, the dignity of work — to the digital revolution. Paolo Carozza, law professor at Notre Dame Law School and chair of the Meta oversight board, called it 'a and prophetic document.' He said Leo offers 'a clear, comprehensive, and coherent voice urging us to take responsibility for constructing a world in which technology will serve humans rather than degrade them.'
Leo signed the text on May 15, the 135th anniversary of 'Rerum Novarum,' the landmark encyclical by Pope Leo XIII that addressed workers' rights during the Industrial Revolution. The current pope cited that document at the start of his pontificate in relation to the AI revolution. He believes AI poses the same existential questions that the Industrial Revolution posed over a century ago. 'Magnifica Humanitas' thus becomes the latest chapter in a century-long history of popes adapting 'Rerum Novarum' to the social questions of their times.
Leo extended his concern for human dignity in labor to issue the first-ever papal apology for the Holy See's role in legitimizing slavery. Vatican officials declined to say who contributed to the encyclical. The document's strongest chapters denounce how AI has accelerated the 'normalization of war' by desensitizing people to its cost.
Leo did not name specific conflicts but cited 'opposing imperialisms, between powers that wish to preserve their supremacy, and those that aspire to seize that supremacy.' He declared the Catholic Church's 'just war' theory outdated given technological advances in warfare. AI competitors OpenAI and Anthropic are the second- and third-most valuable US private companies. Each is valued at hundreds of billions of dollars.
That's more than the GDP of many nations. Leo appealed to developers and political leaders to slow down and reflect. He urged them to work not for profit or power, but for the betterment of humanity. 'The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good,' Leo wrote.
The pope's message resonates beyond Catholic circles. It lands in a tech industry grappling with its own power and the looming displacement of human labor at a massive scale. Brian Boyd, US faith liaison for the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, read the inclusion of Anthropic's co-founder as similar to a papal audience with a head of state: not an endorsement. 'I think it's more like a recognition of (how) this is an extremely powerful company that's currently winning this race to replace human workers,' Boyd said.
He acknowledged Anthropic has 'demonstrated genuine goodwill and integrity and interest in dialogue.'
Why It Matters: The encyclical injects a powerful moral voice into the global AI debate at a moment when the Trump administration is pushing for minimal regulation. For working families, the pope's focus on job displacement and the dignity of labor challenges the narrative that technological progress inevitably benefits everyone. His call for AI disarmament could influence international norms on autonomous weapons, potentially affecting defense policies and the future of warfare.
Key Takeaways: - Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical demands robust AI regulation and condemns the profit-driven 'culture of power' in tech. - The document specifically targets AI in remote warfare and the concentration of data, setting up a clash with the Trump administration. - Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah welcomed the critique, calling for external checks on AI labs. - The encyclical ties AI to Catholic social teaching on workers' rights, echoing the Industrial Revolution-era 'Rerum Novarum.'
What comes next is a test of the Vatican's soft power. The encyclical will likely be cited by policymakers and advocacy groups pushing for stricter AI laws, especially in Europe and developing nations. The Trump administration is unlikely to shift its deregulatory stance, but the pope's moral authority could embolden critics in Congress and civil society.
Watch for how tech companies respond — whether they engage more deeply with the ethical questions Leo raised or dismiss the document as external meddling. The legal battle between Anthropic and the US government over military use of AI will be a key indicator of whether the pope's call for disarmament gains traction.
Key Takeaways
— - Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical demands robust AI regulation and condemns the profit-driven 'culture of power' in tech.
— - The document specifically targets AI in remote warfare and the concentration of data, setting up a clash with the Trump administration.
— - Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah welcomed the critique, calling for external checks on AI labs.
— - The encyclical ties AI to Catholic social teaching on workers' rights, echoing the Industrial Revolution-era 'Rerum Novarum.'
Source: Times of Israel
