‘AI needs to be disarmed’: Pope Leo sees threat to humanity in technological arms race
‘AI needs to be disarmed’: Pope Leo sees threat to humanity in technological arms race
Publish Date: 2026-05-25 11:35:00
Source Domain: theconversation.com
In the first landmark publication of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV has addressed recent advances in artificial intelligence by focusing on the threat it poses to workers, social justice and “the dignity of persons”.
Presenting his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Maginficent Humanity”), at the Vatican on May 25, Leo declared: “artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed.”
In the document – comprising around 42,300 words in its English translation – the pope writes: “To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity.”
Encyclicals are exceptionally important papal documents that respond to the most pressing social issues of the time. Typically written as letters to all bishops and archbishops, they have become a crucial vehicle for disseminating the theology and political commitments of the Roman Catholic Church across the world.
Leo chose to sign his first encyclical on May 15 2026, the exact anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum novarum” (“Of new things”). This famous encyclical, which responded to the technological advances of the industrial revolution, became the foundational document of all modern Catholic social teaching.
Pope Leo XIV signing his first encyclical on May 15 2026. Video: Vatican News.
Indeed, the current pope probably chose the name Leo because of Leo XIII’s renowned commitment to social justice.
Just as “Rerum novarum” responded to the industrial revolution by emphasising workers’ rights and the dignity of human labour, so too Leo XIV has responded to the explosion of AI technology by emphasising the importance of human over machine intelligence.
In 1891, Leo XIII wrote: “Wage-earners … should be specially cared for and protected by the government.”
Leo XIV now makes similar appeals to world governments about AI: “It is necessary to establish…
