Pope to Release First Major Work Addressing AI Ethical Challenges

Catholic Pontif, Pope Leo XIV, is set to release his first encyclical, titled “Magnifica Humanitas,” on May 25. The document will address the ethical challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI), labour rights, and global peace.

Vatican City announced on Monday that the encyclical will be unveiled by the pontiff himself on May 25.

The encyclical is expected to criticize the use of AI in warfare and discuss how the technology threatens workers’ rights.

“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity) was formally signed by the pope last Friday ahead of publication, a Vatican statement said.

Leo, the first American pope, will take part in a Vatican presentation of the text—a departure from papal tradition—and will be joined by Chris Olah, co‑founder of the AI company Anthropic.

Popes normally do not present their writings publicly; instead, Vatican cardinals and press officials do so.

Encyclicals are among the highest forms of teaching from a pontiff to the Church’s 1.4 billion members.

“A pope’s first encyclical typically outlines his priorities, focusing on what he sees as serious social and moral issues for the modern world,” said John Thavis, a retired Vatican correspondent who covered three papacies.

Monday’s statement said the text would address “the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.”

The Catholic Pontif has been speaking forcefully in recent weeks against the direction taken by world leadership and drew the ire of President Donald Trump by criticizing the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The document, which has been in the works for months, is expected to cover a range of social issues and may provide the Church’s most comprehensive guidance on workers’ rights in decades.

Leo, the 14th pope to choose that name, signed the text on May 15, the 135th anniversary of an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII, who called for better pay and conditions for labourers.

He marked his first year as pope on May 8 and has warned about the risks of AI several times.

He decried its use in warfare in a speech at Europe’s largest university last week, citing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran as showing “the inhumane evolution of the relationship between war and new technologies in a spiral of annihilation.”

The pope’s invitation to Olah may reflect Olah’s research into mechanisms involved in the neural networks that form the basis of AI.

Anthropic has clashed with the Trump administration, notably by insisting on guardrails restricting how its models can be used for military purposes such as targeting weapons autonomously or domestic surveillance.

The pontiff released one other major document in his first year, completing an apostolic exhortation started by the late Pope Francis that called for widespread changes to the global market system to address rising wealth inequality.

The last encyclical was issued by Francis in October 2024. It urged Catholics to abandon the “mad pursuit” of money and devote themselves to their faith.