Pope Leo warns of artificial intelligence dangers in first encyclical

Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" on AI dangers, warning about regulation and ethical oversight.

Objective Facts

Pope Leo XIV released "Magnifica Humanitas," his first encyclical of 42,300 words, on May 25, 2026, marking his most sweeping statement on AI dangers and promises. The document warns that without stronger safeguards, artificial intelligence could deepen inequality, weaken human agency, and shift critical decisions increasingly out of human hands. Leo presented the encyclical alongside Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, in a symbolic gesture of dialogue between Church leadership and the AI industry. The encyclical calls for AI to be freed from an "armed" logic of competition driven by geopolitical and commercial dominance, with Leo writing: "To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity". The Pope signed the encyclical on May 15, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's "Rerum Novarum," intentionally creating a parallel between his response to AI and his namesake's response to the Industrial Revolution.

Left-Leaning Perspective

NPR reported that Pope Leo XIV took direct aim at the power of Big Tech in his first encyclical on Monday (May 25), warning that artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, weakening democracy and undermining what it means to be human, with the document calling to "disarm AI" by removing it from military and economic interests and subjecting AI companies to stricter state and international regulations. The Washington Post emphasized that in his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV put forth a defense of human dignity in the era of AI, delivering what it called "a far-ranging treatise on the morality of technology that included a dramatic plea for guardrails to ensure that artificial intelligence eases — rather than exacerbates — inequality and poverty". Left-leaning coverage highlighted Leo's criticism of Big Tech's concentration of power, noting his warning that "small but highly influential groups can shape information and consumption patterns, influence democratic processes and steer economic dynamics to their own advantage, undermining social justice and solidarity among peoples".

Right-Leaning Perspective

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum opened what CNBC called "a new front" in the Trump administration's public feud with the Vatican, telling Fox Business on Tuesday: "I didn't know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope," in direct response to Leo's 42,300-word document that called for stronger AI oversight and warned the technology could displace workers, deepen inequality and put lethal weapons decisions beyond human control. Adam Thierer, senior fellow at the R Street think tank, published a critical Substack article saying the Pope had failed to "provide a more holistic and historically grounded perspective on the role innovation plays in improving our world" and that the encyclical didn't "account for the astonishing ability of humans to 'muddle through' and repeatedly overcome adversity". David Sacks, Trump's former AI and cryptocurrency adviser, posted on X his concern that if "we hand governments sweeping power over AI development in the name of safety, how do we prevent it from being used to censor, surveil and control citizens — as Orwell foretold in 1984?"

Deep Dive

Pope Leo XIV has elevated AI as a central concern since early in his papacy, telling the College of Cardinals shortly after his election that the Church would confront risks artificial intelligence posed to "human dignity, justice and labor," a focus reflected in his papal name itself, chosen in reference to Pope Leo XIII, whose 1891 encyclical "Rerum Novarum" addressed the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution and established the foundation of modern Catholic social teaching on labor and technology. The encyclical is the fruit of 10 years of dialogue on ethics between the Vatican and the tech industry, with sources indicating tech leaders "were interested in wisdom from the church" regarding "how best to serve humanity". The Pope's specific angle is not anti-technology or Luddite, but rather a call for ethical guardrails and broader participation in AI governance versus concentrated private power. Over the past year, Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump have clashed several times in the press, including on the Iran War, nuclear weapons, and immigration, and on Monday the encyclical potentially opened a new front on AI, with Leo offering pointed recommendations for reining in AI that directly contrast with Trump's administration embrace of the tech industry in his second term. The main lens through which the Trump administration has approached AI is the so-called "arms race" with China; last week Trump delayed signing an executive order which called for pre-deployment testing of AI, explaining that he didn't "want to do anything that's going to get in the way of" the U.S. maintaining its technological lead over China in the race to build powerful AI systems. What left-leaning outlets get right is that private tech monopolies do concentrate power over AI governance, but what they may understate is the Pope's nuanced position that he is not opposed to innovation itself—only to unchecked concentration. What conservative critics get right is that regulatory overreach could slow beneficial development, but what they overlook is the Pope's distinction between slowing to allow ethical deliberation versus blanket rejection of innovation. The key unresolved question is how to implement meaningful international AI oversight without creating mechanisms susceptible to authoritarian misuse or stifling beneficial development.

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Pope Leo warns of artificial intelligence dangers in first encyclical

Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" on AI dangers, warning about regulation and ethical oversight.

May 25, 2026· Updated May 30, 2026
What's Going On

Pope Leo XIV released "Magnifica Humanitas," his first encyclical of 42,300 words, on May 25, 2026, marking his most sweeping statement on AI dangers and promises. The document warns that without stronger safeguards, artificial intelligence could deepen inequality, weaken human agency, and shift critical decisions increasingly out of human hands. Leo presented the encyclical alongside Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, in a symbolic gesture of dialogue between Church leadership and the AI industry. The encyclical calls for AI to be freed from an "armed" logic of competition driven by geopolitical and commercial dominance, with Leo writing: "To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity". The Pope signed the encyclical on May 15, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's "Rerum Novarum," intentionally creating a parallel between his response to AI and his namesake's response to the Industrial Revolution.

Left says: Left-leaning outlets like NPR framed Pope Leo's encyclical as a direct challenge to Big Tech monopolies, emphasizing his call for government regulation and broader public participation in AI governance.
Right says: Conservative Trump officials like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum dismissed the encyclical as overreach, while libertarian and free-market commentators criticized the Pope's regulatory prescriptions as stifling innovation.
✓ Common Ground
Vice President J.D. Vance, the highest-ranking Catholic in the Trump administration, told NBC News on Tuesday that the parts of the encyclical he read were "very profound," acknowledging that AI "raises such profound questions for how we interact with one another, what kind of skills we need in the workforce, the kind of wars that we'll fight, and how we'll fight our wars".
There appears to be growing recognition across perspectives that AI's impact on human work and dignity is central to the ethical question, with Leo's insistence on "the value of fulfilling human work that doesn't just lead to productivity gains and remuneration, but also provides context for expression, relationships and contributing to the community" finding sympathy even among those skeptical of his regulatory approach.
Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, acknowledged at the encyclical's launch that "We need informed critics who will tell the labs when we are failing" and "We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend," suggesting alignment with the Pope's call for external ethical oversight of AI development.
Objective Deep Dive

Pope Leo XIV has elevated AI as a central concern since early in his papacy, telling the College of Cardinals shortly after his election that the Church would confront risks artificial intelligence posed to "human dignity, justice and labor," a focus reflected in his papal name itself, chosen in reference to Pope Leo XIII, whose 1891 encyclical "Rerum Novarum" addressed the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution and established the foundation of modern Catholic social teaching on labor and technology. The encyclical is the fruit of 10 years of dialogue on ethics between the Vatican and the tech industry, with sources indicating tech leaders "were interested in wisdom from the church" regarding "how best to serve humanity". The Pope's specific angle is not anti-technology or Luddite, but rather a call for ethical guardrails and broader participation in AI governance versus concentrated private power. Over the past year, Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump have clashed several times in the press, including on the Iran War, nuclear weapons, and immigration, and on Monday the encyclical potentially opened a new front on AI, with Leo offering pointed recommendations for reining in AI that directly contrast with Trump's administration embrace of the tech industry in his second term. The main lens through which the Trump administration has approached AI is the so-called "arms race" with China; last week Trump delayed signing an executive order which called for pre-deployment testing of AI, explaining that he didn't "want to do anything that's going to get in the way of" the U.S. maintaining its technological lead over China in the race to build powerful AI systems. What left-leaning outlets get right is that private tech monopolies do concentrate power over AI governance, but what they may understate is the Pope's nuanced position that he is not opposed to innovation itself—only to unchecked concentration. What conservative critics get right is that regulatory overreach could slow beneficial development, but what they overlook is the Pope's distinction between slowing to allow ethical deliberation versus blanket rejection of innovation. The key unresolved question is how to implement meaningful international AI oversight without creating mechanisms susceptible to authoritarian misuse or stifling beneficial development.

◈ Tone Comparison

Progressive outlets like NPR used aggressive framing such as the Pope "took direct aim at the power of Big Tech," emphasizing confrontation with corporate power. Conservative critics like Interior Secretary Burgum adopted dismissive tones, questioning whether the Pope had authority to comment on technology policy.