Pope Leo XIV Warns of AI Risks and Potential to Dominate Humanity

Vatican – Pope Leo XIV has released his first encyclical on Monday, 25 May 2026. The encyclical is titled ‘Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence’.

In his encyclical, Pope Leo highlighted developments in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. He stressed the need to approach AI with caution and underscored the importance of transparency and accountability at every stage of its development.

According to Pope Leo, an ethical framework for AI grounded in social justice principles is necessary. More importantly, he called for AI technology not to be controlled by a select few.

‘Moral AI alone is insufficient if morality is determined by a select few,’ Pope Leo stated in his encyclical, as cited by Anadolu Agency.

The Pope also reiterated the need to disarm AI to free it from military, economic, and cognitive competition mindsets. ‘Disarming does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity,’ he said.

‘Humanity—in all its glory and wounds—must not be replaced or surpassed,’ added Pope Leo.

Pope Leo acknowledged that technology can alleviate human suffering and open new possibilities. However, he raised concerns about the denial of humanity’s essence, warning that AI must not cause unemployment in the name of cost-cutting and profit maximisation.