In a sweeping address, Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning about artificial intelligence, cautioning that the technology risks eroding human dignity, accelerating global conflict, and placing life-and-death decisions in the hands of unaccountable systems.
The warning came in his first major encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), a wide-ranging document that places AI at the center of a broader moral and civilizational crisis.
At more than 40,000 words, the document represents one of the most comprehensive statements yet from the Catholic Church on the role of technology in modern life. It also signals a growing concern that rapid innovation is outpacing ethical reflection.
The Pope’s central argument is this: technology, he insists, must remain subordinate to the human person—not the other way around.
“Technology is never neutral,” Leo wrote, emphasizing that it reflects the values of those who design and deploy it. That insight forms the foundation of the document’s broader critique.
While acknowledging the benefits of technological progress, the pontiff warned that AI is increasingly being shaped by forces disconnected from moral accountability. Chief among these are large corporations and geopolitical actors.
The encyclical highlights what Leo calls a dangerous shift. Power, he argues, is moving away from democratic institutions and into the hands of “major economic and technological actors.”
Hellbound and Down 