Pope Leo XIV will discuss the impact of AI on people with a technology expert

The Vatican is preparing for an event that could become a key milestone in the dialogue between religion and technology, as Pope Leo XIV will present his first encyclical on artificial intelligence on May 25, marking the Catholic Church’s official stance on how new technologies are transforming human life.

The document, which, according to Bloomberg, will be titled “Magnifica humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”), will focus on how to preserve human identity in a world where more and more decisions and processes are being handed over to algorithms and artificial intelligence systems.

The Vatican explicitly states that the encyclical will address issues of human dignity, justice, and labor—that is, the fundamental aspects most likely to face pressure amid technological transformation. “The document will be dedicated to preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence,” according to reports describing the upcoming publication.

This is not the first time Pope Leo XIV has spoken about the role of new technologies, and since his election, he has repeatedly emphasized that the world is undergoing a new industrial revolution that requires a rethinking of approaches to human labor and social relations.

The pontiff also explained that he chose his name in honor of Leo XIII, who led the Church during the previous industrial revolution and left behind the famous encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” dedicated to workers’ rights and social justice, which effectively became the Church’s response to the challenges of an era of change.

Separately, in a new message for World Communications Day, the Pope urged people not to lose the ability to think critically and drew attention to the fact that artificial intelligence affects not only information but also human relationships and the way people communicate with one another. “Artificial intelligence systems interfere not only with the information space but also with human relationships,” reads his statement, as cited by the Vatican.

The participation of Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah in the presentation of the encyclical is also noteworthy, as it may indicate a desire among tech companies to contribute to shaping the ethical framework for AI development and to build a dialogue with global institutions, including the Vatican.

In recent years, major tech companies from Silicon Valley have been actively seeking contact with the Vatican, while the Catholic Church maintains a cautious stance, striving not to lose its own vision of humanity in a world where machines are making an increasing number of decisions.