Pope Leo XIV issues first encyclical on artificial intelligence

Pope Leo XIV has issued his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, placing artificial intelligence at the centre of Vatican teaching on technology and human dignity. According to Project Syndicate, the Pope's intervention represents a rare moment of religious institutional clarity on AI's dangers, rejecting techno-utopianism in favour of a framework centred on human flourishing.

Project Syndicate's analysis notes that the encyclical deserves credit for addressing AI's transformative social and economic consequences at a moment when global institutions remain "dangerously unprepared." The Vatican's moral authority carries weight in Catholic-majority regions, including parts of southern Italy where the Church retains significant cultural influence.

However, Project Syndicate argues that the encyclical's human-centred moral framework is incomplete. The commentary suggests that Leo's vision should extend beyond human interests to encompass the welfare of all sentient beings—biological and potentially artificial—rather than treating technology solely as a tool for human ends.