Pope Leo XIV Calls for Ethical Regulation of AI

An Encyclical for the Age of AI

Pope Leon XIV, elected in May 2025, has published his first encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas. This 42,300-word document calls for regulation of technology and a moral framework to protect humanity in the face of advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). The pope, 70 years old and trained as a mathematician, has made the protection of the human person in the age of AI a priority of his papacy.

The release of this document comes at a time when many are already comparing it to the industrial revolution in terms of its impact on our work and ways of life. AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are expanding and enhancing the capabilities of their models at extraordinary rates, fueling the ongoing debate over whether AI will be more beneficial or harmful to society. Amid all this, Pope Leon identifies AI as "a valuable tool that requires vigilance," questioning the concentration of power among tech companies and addressing developers directly in certain sections. The document has a broad scope, calling for caution in the deployment of AI in warfare and the workplace, and it is likely to become a foundational text as policymakers and tech companies develop their strategies for building and regulating technology in the years to come.

A Call to Disarm AI

In his encyclical, Pope Leon urges to "disarm AI," a phrase that goes beyond the military use of technology. He advocates for freeing technology from monopolistic control and making it accessible to public debate. According to him, it is crucial not to let technology dominate humanity but to integrate it into the diversity of cultures and ways of life.

"Disarming means discrediting the assumption that technical power automatically confers the right to govern," writes the pope. "Disarming does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity. It means freeing technology from monopolistic control and opening it up to discussion and debate, thus making technology user-friendly and restoring it to the plurality of human cultures and ways of life."

The Ethics of AI in the Spotlight

Pope Leon emphasizes the importance of subjecting AI ethics to shared standards of social justice. He warns against the risk of allowing a few companies to dictate the ethical frameworks of this technology. For him, a more moral AI must be the result of open and inclusive discussion.

This encyclical is more than just a message to tech companies and the Catholic Church. Instead, the pope seems to be addressing all of humanity, prioritizing "the equal dignity of all human beings," "the supreme value of human rights," and "the construction of a common good." For both Catholics and non-Catholics, Magnifica Humanitas presents ideas around which people worldwide can rally as AI becomes an increasingly significant presence in our lives.

The pope warns against allowing those who control AI to dictate and impose the ethical frameworks governing technology. Instead, he asserts that AI ethics should be subject to "shared standards of social justice" and discussed openly among all. "A more moral AI is not sufficient if that morality is determined by a few," he writes. In other words, we should all have a say in the role of AI in our world.

The Dangers of AI Dependence

Pope Leon also warns against excessive reliance on AI tools, which could weaken creativity and personal judgment. He highlights the risk that AI's imitation of human communication could create the illusion of authentic relationships, to the detriment of genuine human connections.

He also reflects on how we should approach our own use of AI. The speed and ease of use of AI tools can be appealing, he says. But they can also "encourage excessive dependence and the search for ready-made answers, weakening creativity and personal judgment."

AI's imitation of positive human communication can be engaging and even useful at times, he adds. "However, for less discerning users, it can also be misleading, creating the illusion of a relationship with a real personal subject." This is particularly risky, he notes, when the imitation of attention and support occurs in contexts where genuine human bonds are lacking. "Here, the danger is not so much that a person might believe they are communicating with another person, but rather that they might gradually lose the desire to form genuine human connections," writes the pope.

A Papacy Focused on Innovation

The choice of the name Pope Leon XIV echoes Leon XIII, who addressed the challenges of the industrial revolution. The current pope continues this tradition by focusing on the impact of AI on society. According to Brian Boyd from the Future of Life Institute, Leon XIV is speaking directly to tech companies, emphasizing their ethical and spiritual responsibility.

To understand the extent of the pope's interest in AI, we must first examine his choice of name. His decision to call himself Pope Leon XIV references Pope Leon XIII, who occupied the papal seat during the industrial revolution and wrote an encyclical called Rerum Novarum on capital and labor.

The current Pope Leon continues in many ways the work of his predecessor, according to Brian Boyd, faith liaison in the United States for the Future of Life Institute. "Leon is developing the tradition of Catholic social teaching on how we, as a society, can better serve the common good — recognizing that AI is the most important technology we have had in the last two centuries, perhaps even the last two millennia, for how it will affect our life together," Boyd said, speaking to CNET before the publication of the encyclical.

Over the past year, the pope has spoken about AI in the context of protecting children, what he calls "the sacred nature of the human face and voice," and concerns regarding workers' rights, Boyd added. Pope Leon has made sure to address the tech industry directly, including in his encyclical, where he states that developers "bear a particular ethical and spiritual responsibility, as every design choice reflects a vision of humanity."

At times, he has faced negative reactions to this stance. Last November, for example, when the pope spoke at the Builders AI Forum, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen publicly mocked him — although his use of memes fell flat as many, including some from Silicon Valley, agreed that the pope was right.

"It was fascinating to see not only Catholics but people of goodwill of all kinds say why are you upset with someone who is highlighting what should be common sense, but which, outside of certain niches, is simply completely ignored?" Boyd said.

The fact that Leon is the first American pope likely also plays a role in how and why he addresses major tech companies based in the United States, Boyd added. Although he was born in the United States, he spent many years working for the Catholic Church in Latin America, giving him an understanding of both America's self-perception and the country's global vision. "This dual perspective makes him truly ideal for addressing people in Silicon Valley and also for representing the rest of the world in a way that is deeply needed, as... many of these voices are not being heard, are not being taken into account," he said.