Pope Leo XIV issues first encyclical warning against AI 'digital slaveries' and calls for technology to be 'disarmed' in warfare

Pope Leo XIV released Magnifica Humanitas, a 42,300-word encyclical about AI presented in Rome alongside an Anthropic cofounder. The document condemns the use of AI in warfare and argues that 'the pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs.'

The Pope seeks to 'counterbalance alarm with hope' while warning humanity against creating 'new digital slaveries,' according to The Atlantic. The encyclical suggests Leo is attempting to shape AI's future rather than undermine it outright.

The document represents a significant test of the Vatican's influence in the secular world, as the Pope engages directly with the technology's trajectory through formal teaching rather than abstention.