Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical

[ancianita]

The document marks a powerful foray by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church into the debate about the misuse or overuse of artificial intelligence.

Pope Leo XIV on Monday set out a sweeping vision for corporate executives, politicians and individuals who will shape and be shaped by the future of artificial intelligence, warning leaders to safeguard humanity from A.I.’s most disruptive effects.

Leo’s declaration came in the form of a papal encyclical, an open letter to “all people of good will” that ran to roughly 42,300 words in its English version. It outlined his desire to protect human dignity and agency in an age in which technology threatens to replace humans in many professional and social roles. He presented it alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, a major A.I. developer, in a symbolic gesture of dialogue between leaders of the spiritual and technological worlds.

While emphasizing that “technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity,” he wrote that “the pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs.”

Among other things, Leo called for:

-- government regulation of the private companies that are driving the development of A.I.

-- protection and retraining for workers whose jobs are threatened

-- education to help students think critically about the technology

-- action to protect children from violent, hypersexualized or fake information online that is often generated by A.I.

-- safeguards to ensure that humans, not artificial intelligence, remain responsible for all decisions regarding the use of weapons.

Above all he emphasized the importance of retaining a fundamental social role for all human beings. “A society that guarantees employment to only a small fraction of the population, despite having a high level of technical development, risks exposing many to forced inactivity,” he wrote.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/world/europe/pope-leo-encyclical.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lFA.ojfo.8ueGlC5edcx3&smid=url-share

Definition of encyclical...

For the modern Catholic Church, a papal encyclical is a specific category of papal document, a kind of pastoral letter concerning Catholic doctrine, sent by the pope and usually addressed especially to patriarchs, primates, archbishops and bishops who are in communion with the Holy See. The form of the address can vary widely and may concern bishops in a particular area, or designate a wider audience.[2] Papal encyclicals usually take the form of a papal brief because of their more personal nature as opposed to the formal papal bull.

Like most papal documents the title of the encyclical is usually taken from its first few words (its incipit). They are usually written in Latin unless particularly addressed to the Bishops or the church of one region. Papal encyclicals not in Latin include the 1931 Italian Non abbiamo bisogno against Italian fascist suppression of groups like Catholic Action, and the 1937 German Mit brennender Sorge against the Nazi idolization of race and nation.

Papal Use
In the encyclical Humani generis, Pope Pius XII held that papal encyclicals, even when they are of ordinary magisterium, can nonetheless be sufficiently authoritative to end theological debate on a particular question:

It is not to be thought that what is set down in Encyclical letters does not demand assent in itself, because in this the popes do not exercise the supreme power of their magisterium. For these matters are taught by the ordinary magisterium, regarding which the following is pertinent: "He who heareth you, heareth Me." (Luke 10:16); and usually what is set forth and inculcated in Encyclical Letters, already pertains to Catholic doctrine. But if the Supreme Pontiffs in their acts, after due consideration, express an opinion on a hitherto controversial matter, it is clear to all that this matter, according to the mind and will of the same Pontiffs, cannot any longer be considered a question of free discussion among theologians.[3]

As part of Catholic social teaching, popes have issued at least 19 encyclicals, over more than a century. On social issues and workers rights, Pope Leo XIII promulgated the encyclical Rerum novarum (1891), which was followed by Quadragesimo anno (1931) of Pius XI and Centesimus annus (1991) of John Paul II. Pope Pius XII issued ten encyclicals, mostly after 1945, three of them protesting against the Soviet invasion of Hungary which suppressed the Hungarian Revolution in 1956: Datis nuperrime, Laetamur admodum and Luctuosissimi eventus. Pope Paul VI published an encyclical Humanae vitae on the topic of birth control and euthanasia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclical