Pope Leo XIV Issues Encyclical 'Magnifica Humanitas' on AI and Human Dignity

On May 15, Pope Leo XIV signed 'Magnifica Humanitas,' the Vatican's first encyclical dedicated to artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity. Published ten days later, the document arrives exactly 135 years after Leo XIII released 'Rerum Novarum,' which framed the industrial revolution’s moral questions. In the encyclical, the Pope calls for a values‑based framework to guide AI development, warning that current decisions will shape generations. The Vatican’s initiative coincides with a recent Faith‑AI Covenant roundtable that brought together AI leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic and DeepMind with senior religious figures. Read more