Pope Leo XIV Calls for Slower AI Advances in Manifesto, Likens Threat to Biblical ‘Tower of Babel’
The first U.S.-born pope warns that AI power should not stay in a few hands and calls for legal frameworks and independent oversight.
- On Monday, May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas,' at the Vatican, urging robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, and strict limits on military artificial intelligence.
- Pope Leo XIV signed the document May 15, 2026, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's 'Rerum Novarum,' framing AI as 'another industrial revolution' posing existential challenges to human dignity and labor.
- The nearly 43,000-word encyclical asserts it is 'not permissible' to entrust lethal decisions to AI systems while demanding transparency and accountability to protect workers and children from algorithmic exploitation.
- Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah joined the Vatican launch, sparking debate over endorsement versus dialogue; Paolo Carozza, law professor at Notre Dame Law School, called it a 'defining document for our era.'
- Experts view the encyclical as a benchmark for global AI governance, with policymakers urged to prioritize the 'common good' over profit while addressing the digital revolution's moral challenges.
126 Articles
126 Articles
Pope Leo XIV gave his judgment on the development of modern technologies
Pope Leo XIV (70) draws the AI emergency brake after one year in office – and warns of the dangers of artificial intelligence in his first major encyclical.
AI must be oriented towards morality and human values, says Pope Leo XIV. However, this does not benefit "when this morality is determined by a few". In his first encyclical, he becomes clear.
Pope urges 'disarming' of AI in major manifesto
VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV called Monday for the “disarming” of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology, and warned of “new forms of slavery” behind its rise. Leo, the first US pope, warned against “a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets, driven by the desire to secure geopolitical or commercial dominance”. He presented his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnific…
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