Pope Leo XIV, AI, And The Future Of Higher Education
Pope Leo XIV, AI, And The Future Of Higher Education
Publish Date: 2026-05-28 09:51:00
Source Domain: www.forbes.com
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – MAY 25: Pope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first Encyclical Letter “Magnifica humanitas” at the Synod Hall on May 25, 2026, in Vatican City, Vatican. At the presentation of his first social encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV appealed for artificial intelligence to be placed firmly at the service of humanity, warning against technologies that foster domination, exclusion and war. (Photo by Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
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In Magnifica Humanitas, the first papal encyclical devoted to artificial intelligence (AI), Pope Leo XIV warns: “Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.” This encyclical comes at a moment when colleges and universities are struggling to determine how to both use AI and preserve human judgment, creativity, and dignity within institutions that are increasingly shaped by automation and efficiency. For Molloy University business professor and AI and higher education expert Alex Chan, these questions are central to the future of colleges and universities.
Throughout Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo argues that AI is more than a technological development; it is a moral and social force that will reshape labor, democracy, truth, and human relationships. He warns readers against a “culture of power” fueled by technological concentration and efficiency-driven thinking. From Chan’s perspective, these pressures are already present across higher education. He shared with me: “In education, the way that these risks are playing out is that elite universities forge exclusive partnerships with governments and corporations, securing privileged access to advanced AI tools and proprietary data while most public institutions and students fall further behind.” He added, “This concentrates power and widens inequality.”
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