Magnifica Humanitas: Pope Leo XIV issues First Encyclical on AI ethics

Pope Leo XIV has issued his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, a sweeping document that confronts the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and calls for firm safeguards to protect human dignity amid sweeping technological upheaval.

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Signed on May 15, 2026, on the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s landmark Rerum Novarum, and released publicly on May 25, the letter frames today’s digital transformations as a defining test for humanity.

It urges societies to reject unchecked technocratic power and instead anchor progress in principles that put people first.

At roughly 42,000 words, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”) draws on biblical imagery to make its case.

It contrasts the pride-driven construction of the Tower of Babel, where uniformity and self-sufficiency led to confusion and scattering, with the communal rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls under Nehemiah, where shared responsibility and reliance on God restored both structures and relationships.

The encyclical acknowledges technology’s benefits while sounding alarms about its risks.

It warns that AI and related tools, when driven primarily by private interests with resources exceeding many governments, concentrate power in ways that threaten jobs, truth, freedom, and peace.

It calls for transparency, accountability, and governance structures that keep humans firmly in control of critical decisions, including those involving weapons and data.

On work and the economy, the document stresses the enduring value of human labor even as automation advances.

It highlights the threat of widespread unemployment and pushes for economic models that prioritize dignity over efficiency alone, supporting families and giving young people reasons for hope.

In the realm of truth and communication, Leo XIV addresses how AI can distort information, manipulate public opinion, and erode democratic processes.

He advocates for an “ecology of communication” and stronger educational efforts to equip people, especially through schools, to navigate the digital landscape without losing their capacity for genuine understanding and relationship.

The letter extends to global affairs, cautioning against the normalization of war and the use of AI in weapons systems.

It critiques concentrated power that bypasses multilateral institutions and instead promotes dialogue, justice, diplomacy, and a “civilization of love” rooted in solidarity and the common good.

Throughout, Magnifica Humanitas builds on Catholic social teaching, reaffirming core principles: the dignity of every person as made in God’s image, subsidiarity, solidarity, and integral human development.

It positions the Church as a participant in dialogue with all people of goodwill, not as an outsider dictating terms.

The release included a presentation at the Vatican’s Synod Hall, drawing participants from theology, Church leadership, and even AI development circles. An audiobook version has since become available, broadening access to the text.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, uses the encyclical to extend the Church’s long tradition of social reflection into the AI era.

Rather than rejecting innovation, he insists it must serve the full flourishing of human persons (body, mind, and spirit) rather than reducing them to data points or cogs in a machine.

The full text of Magnifica Humanitas is freely available on the Vatican website in multiple languages or you can download it in PDF here.

As governments, tech companies, and ordinary citizens grapple with AI’s expanding footprint, this document lands as a direct intervention: a call to choose the path of genuine human grandeur over new forms of domination.