‘Disarm AI’: Pope Leo XIV issues stark warning over rapid artificial intelligence growth | Technology News
Publish Date: 2026-05-26 00:10:00
Source Domain: indianexpress.com
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping human life. With Big Tech companies investing billions into AI research, and AI startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic introducing increasingly powerful AI capabilities, concerns over mass job displacement and security risks are growing. As a result, the world remains divided over the unchecked and unprecedented pace of AI development, as well as the responsible use and deployment of the technology.
Joining the growing chorus of voices raising concerns about AI’s rapid growth and potential misuse, Pope Leo XIV on Monday, May 25, said AI must be “disarmed” so that it does not dominate human beings. In his first major encyclical (an official papal letter) since his election, titled Magnifica Humanitas, the Bishop of Rome underscored the ethical risks posed by AI and the responsibility of both its creators and those in positions of power.
An encyclical is the highest-authority official document that the Pope uses to address Catholics worldwide. Among other papal documents, encyclicals carry the strongest binding force. The document titled ‘Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence’ begins by outlining the moral and social challenges posed by AI.
What does the Pope’s encyclical say about AI?
In the section ‘The Grandeur of Humanity in Light of the Promise of AI,’ the Pope has deemed AI among challenges that ‘profoundly shape our way of living today.’ With technology rapidly transforming languages, relationships, institutions, and forms of power, the Pope bats for choice. He says that people must be able and should choose projects that safeguard and value the grandeur of humanity. “This is a choice not only for our future but also for our present, since artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are already part of our daily lives.”
While refraining from offering a comprehensive view of AI, the pontiff recalled a few elements for a…
