Pope Leo XIV releases encyclical calling for 'profoundly human' approach to AI governance, touching on warfare, labor displacement, and algorithmic transparency

Pope Leo XIV published Magnifica Humanitas, a papal encyclical more than 42,000 words long, that warns of risks from AI-powered warfare, job loss, and inadequate protections for human dignity amid rapid AI adoption.

The encyclical proposes social criteria for introducing automation with worker protections and retraining; human decision-making authority over lethal force; transparency in hiring and access algorithms; and more environmentally sustainable AI development.

Pope Leo frames the call for 'prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace in adopting AI' as responsible care for humanity, and defines the core problem as the 'Babel syndrome'—profit-driven uniformity that treats human persons as data and performance metrics.