Pope Leo XIV is calling for a hard reset on AI before the technology moves beyond humanity's ability to control it.
In his first major document as pope, released Monday, Leo urged governments to slow AI development, regulate it closely, and keep it from deepening war and exploitation.
Leo's new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity"), runs nearly 43,000 words and puts AI at the center of its message.
In it, the first U.S.-born pope warned that AI systems can amplify false information, favor conflict, and push the world toward war if leaders fail to act.
He called for "robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users, and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility."
He also said ownership of AI data should not rest solely in private hands. Leo stated that policymakers must protect workers and children while easing the fierce competition between AI companies.
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In response to the document, Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah echoed the call for outside oversight.
"Every frontier AI lab — including Anthropic — operates inside a set of incentives and constraints that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing," he said, according to TheWrap.
Leo linked AI to several issues already shaping daily life, including misinformation, rising geopolitical tensions, labor abuse, and raw material extraction.
He condemned "new forms of slavery" linked to AI supply chains, including children and adolescents mining rare earth materials in dangerous conditions.
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Leo also used the encyclical to reject the old "just war" framework. He argued that violence, weapons, and power politics are making peace seem like little more than a brief pause between conflicts.
He singled out military uses of AI in particular, saying that it is "not permissible" to allow AI systems to make lethal decisions.
Leo's document is not law, but an encyclical is among the Catholic Church's highest forms of teaching. It could influence how Catholic people and others think about AI.
"In the humble fidelity of daily life, even the era of AI can become a time in which the Holy Spirit brings about the civilization of love in our lives," Leo said in conclusion.
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