Overview
- Pope Leo XIV published Magnifica Humanitas and presented it at the Vatican on May 25, calling on states, international bodies and civil society to govern AI so it serves human dignity rather than concentrated corporate power.
- The 42,000–45,000 word document argues that AI is not morally neutral, lists risks such as mass job loss, surveillance, autonomous weapons and new forms of exploitation, and recommends transparency, stronger oversight and protections for workers.
- The Vatican’s public event included AI expert Christopher Olah from Anthropic and two women theologians, which has intensified questions about which companies and voices get privileged access to the Holy See.
- Reactions are mixed: investor and faith-based stewardship groups welcomed the governance focus while some commentators and outlets faulted the encyclical for limited engagement with AI’s benefits, for favoring UN-led coordination, and for sparse female citation in its sources.
- The encyclical could shift practical power over AI by bolstering multilateral rulemaking, faith-driven shareholder pressure and worker protections, and it raises a watchpoint that decisions about model training, labor in the Global South and corporate ties will shape whose values AI encodes.