Pope Leo XIV targets AI in first encyclicaltargets AI in first encyclical
Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical at the Vatican on Monday, using the document to set out a vision for protecting human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.
The presentation alongside an Anthropic co-founder highlighted the Catholic Church’s effort to engage AI’s moral risks and influence the wider debate on technology governance.
Vatican
The Vatican presents the encyclical as a broad moral guide for how new technology should serve people rather than reduce them to data or output. By pairing the release with an AI industry figure, it also signals a desire to speak directly to technologists, not only to Catholics.
Technology sector
The appearance of an Anthropic founder at the presentation suggests that AI companies are being drawn into ethical discussions once led mainly by religious and political institutions. From this angle, the document adds pressure for developers to consider social consequences alongside innovation and competition.
- Popes have used encyclicals for more than a century to address social and political issues.
- Catholic social teaching has long influenced labor rights debates as well as bioethics.
- The Vatican has hosted major discussions on technology and ethics in recent years.
