Pope Leo XIV has warned that a global race for dominance in artificial intelligence(AI) risks creating “new forms of slavery”, as he called for robust international regulation of the technology in the first encyclical of his papacy.
In the 43,000-word document, titled Magnifica Humanitas, Leo condemned what he described as a “culture of power” driving the development of AI, warning that governments and technology companies were pursuing ever more powerful systems without adequate ethical safeguards. He argued that AI must remain under human control and be used for the common good rather than profit or military advantage.
He urged governments and societies to impose strict ethical limits on AI, particularly in warfare, where autonomous systems are already operating beyond human control.
Presenting the encyclical personally at the Vatican on Sunday, in a rare move for a pope, Leo compared unchecked AI development to the biblical Tower of Babel and said some autonomous weapons systems were already operating beyond meaningful human oversight. He called for AI to be “disarmed” and warned against allowing control of data and algorithms to remain concentrated in private hands.
AI-driven job losses could trigger social calamity
The pontiff also linked the rise of AI to labour exploitation and widening inequality, arguing that mass automation risked creating a “social calamity” if workers were displaced without protections. He criticised visions of “transhumanism” that blur the boundaries between people and machines, saying human dignity could not be reduced to data or computational efficiency.
Leo used the encyclical to apologise for the Catholic Church’s historic role in legitimising slavery, calling it “a wound in Christian memory”. The document drew parallels between historical systems of exploitation and modern forms of technological domination.
The intervention positions the Vatican as an increasingly vocal participant in debates over AI governance, alongside governments pushing for tighter oversight of rapidly advancing systems.
Reactions from AI world
Reactions to the encyclical were swift. Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, said AI companies operate within incentives that can “sometimes conflict with doing the right thing” and called for “moral voices” to help guide the industry.
Anna Rowlands of Durham University said the encyclical addressed AI’s impact on workplaces, families and political society, while stressing the urgency of confronting the technology collectively.
Christopher White of Georgetown University noted the pope’s willingness to engage publicly with technologists despite the church not claiming to possess all the answers.
Christine Allen of Cafod said AI must serve humanity rather than deepen inequality, arguing that technological progress required ethical responsibility.
