On AI, the pope and the president agree more than you think
On AI, the pope and the president agree more than you think
Publish Date: 2026-06-08 10:00:00
Source Domain: www.washingtonexaminer.com
Recently in Rome, I was one of only 10 Americans present when Pope Leo XIV issued Magnifica Humanitas, the first encyclical of his pontificate. As the Holy Father unveiled what will likely become one of the defining moral texts on artificial intelligence, the convergence was hard to miss: on AI, the Catholic Church and much of the American populist Right share more common ground than most realize.
That conclusion would not surprise Vice President JD Vance. In May 2025, months before tensions between the Vatican and the Trump administration emerged, Vance told Ross Douthat that the U.S. government was “not equipped to provide moral leadership” on AI and that the Catholic Church was. With Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo has now offered that moral framework.
Many will focus on the broad scope of Magnifica Humanitas. But on artificial intelligence, the Catholic Church and the American populist Right share a recognizable, politically useful framework. The vice president’s remarks, as well as recent comments from Holy See Ambassador Brian Burch “welcoming” Vatican input on AI, underscore this reality.
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Much of the encyclical’s framework will sound familiar to many American conservatives. Pope Leo warns that “scientific and technological advances, when detached from moral and social progress, end up turning against humanity.” He cautions that when efficiency becomes society’s ultimate measure of value, people begin to view themselves as projects to be optimized rather than as persons worthy of dignity. And he argues that while assistance may sometimes be necessary for workers displaced by technological change, the goal should always be meaningful work that allows people to support themselves and their families.
The pope’s rejection of transhumanism aligns with a growing skepticism of Silicon Valley’s utopian promises. Human beings cannot be optimized away, transcended, or…
