Pope Leo to issue text on human dignity and AI with Anthropic co-founder

"The encyclical will address the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, the Vatican said on Monday. In a break from tradition, Leo, who was elected pontiff in May last year, will launch the document during a public presentation on 25 May. He will be joined by lay speaker Olah of Anthropic, which is in the middle of a high-profile lawsuit with the Trump administration over the ethics of AI, as well as theologians Anna Rowlands and Leocadie Lushombo."

"Encyclicals are one of the highest forms of teaching from a pope to the Catholic church's 1.4 billion members, and typically outline his priorities while highlighting the major issues in society. Leo is expected to consider how AI is affecting workers' rights while lamenting its use in warfare. His encyclical is going to be a response to the dazzlingly rapid technological revolution that is happening right now, said Andrea Vreede, a Vatican correspondent for the Dutch public radio and TV network NOS."

"So he will say things like AI shouldn't be used in warfare, that is obvious. But he will also try to be positive and offer workable answers to modern challenges. The Vatican said Leo signed the document, which is entitled Magnifica Humanitas, or Magnificent Humanity, on 15 May 135 years after his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, signed his most significant encyclical, which focused on the Industrial Revolution that was under way at the time while addressing workers' rights and capitalism."

"The fact that Leo signed the document on the same date as Leo XIII signed his encyclical is significant, said Vreede. The 1891 document was a response to the Industrial Rev"

An encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas will be presented at the Vatican on 25 May as Pope Leo’s first major teaching during his papacy. The document focuses on protecting the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. Pope Leo will launch it through a public presentation, joined by Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, along with theologians Anna Rowlands and Leocadie Lushombo. The encyclical is expected to address how AI affects workers’ rights and to criticize the use of AI in warfare. The Vatican signed the document on 15 May, linking it to Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical that responded to the Industrial Revolution and addressed workers’ rights and capitalism.

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