Pope Leo encyclical 'Magnifica Humanitas' demands strict AI rules

With Magnifica Humanitas, the Vatican has effectively entered the AI policy arena as a global moral actor. Pope Leo XIV is not just offering platitudes: he explicitly calls for AI to be “disarmed” from logics of domination and warfare, demands that humans remain in the loop on weapons decisions, and frames AI‑driven job loss and exploitation as moral failures rather than unfortunate side effects. The encyclical also connects AI risks to older injustices like slavery, making the argument that concentrated technological power without ethical guardrails repeats past abuses in a new form.([engadget.com](https://www.engadget.com/2180436/pope-leo-calls-for-ai-to-serve-humanity-and-not-concentrate-power/))

Practically, the document doesn’t write laws—but it can shape them. Catholic bishops’ conferences, development agencies and Catholic‑influenced parties will now have a detailed theological text to cite when arguing for AI regulation, worker protections and safeguards for children against hypersexualized or manipulative content. Having Anthropic co‑founder Christopher Olah on stage at the launch underscores that leading labs see this as part of the legitimacy game: if they want social license to build general‑purpose systems, they must engage with institutions that can mobilize large constituencies.