Pope Leo XIV issued the first encyclical of his papacy, “Magnifica Humanitas,” explicitly echoing Pope Leo XIII’s concern for workers in the age of AI. The encyclical, published Monday, is 42,300 words in English and frames AI as a tool for human empowerment rather than disempowerment. It emphasizes that human dignity must remain fundamental even as more processes are handled by AI. The encyclical uses the Tower of Babel as a metaphor for technological hubris and contrasts it with Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem, stressing rebuilding according to a higher moral vision rather than personal ambition.
"Called “Magnifica Humanitas” (or “Magnificient Humanity,” in English), Leo's “AI encyclical,” which was published Monday, weighs in at 42,300 words in its English version (or about half the length of many books.) At its core, the encyclical is a plea that AI should be used as a tool for human empowerment-rather than disempowerment-and that human dignity must remain fundamental even in a world where more and more processes are handled by AI."
"The previous Pope Leo presided over the throne of St. Peter in the late 19th Century, during a time of rapid technological change and economic upheaval due to the Second Industrial Revolution. He is best known for his 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (Latin for “Of New Things”) which spoke about the plight of the working class and the moral obligations that the owners of capital and corporations had towards the workers and the poor. It is considered the foundational document of Catholic social doctrine."
"Given its length, the encyclical says a lot of things. The Pope uses the Tower of Babel as a metaphor for technological hubris and contrasts that with the story of Nehemiah, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. Nehemiah did not rebuild the walls only according to his own vision, but instea"
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