Pope Leo has released the Vatican's new encyclical titled "Magnifica Humanitas," in which he cautions that artificial intelligence (AI) could become a tool of "domination, exclusion and death" if moral limits are not imposed by governments and institutions. This marks the Vatican's formal entry into the global discussion on AI as various governments and tech companies develop advanced AI systems amid limited international regulation.
The Pope referenced Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical "Rerum Novarum," which addressed worker exploitation during the Industrial Revolution, suggesting that AI poses a similarly significant threat to human dignity. He stated, "Today we find ourselves facing a transformation of similar magnitude, with perhaps even greater consequences."
He expressed concerns about autonomous weapons systems that operate beyond effective human control and highlighted the potential for AI systems to restrict access to healthcare, employment, and security due to biased data. He likened the governance of AI to nuclear arms control, stating that it should serve the common good.
The Pope emphasized that merely disarming AI is insufficient and called for the creation of systems based on trust and human dignity. He urged humanity to maintain moral judgment and not to surrender it to machines, stating, "Stay awake."