All posts tagged: encyclical

In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV says AI must serve humanity, not the powerful few

In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV says AI must serve humanity, not the powerful few

Published by Sam Flores

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV took direct aim at the power of Big Tech in his first encyclical on Monday (May 25), warning that artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, weakening democracy and undermining what it means to be human. The document, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), frames AI as the new industrial revolution and makes an appeal to “disarm AI” by removing it from military and economic interests, subjecting AI companies to stricter state and international regulations and inviting the broad participation of individuals and communities in shaping the future of this rapidly developing technology. “Disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed’ competition, which today is not limited simply to the military context, but is also an economic and cognitive phenomenon,” Leo wrote. “Disarming does not mean renouncing technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity,” he added. “For this reason, merely regulating it is insufficient; it must be disarmed, welcoming and accessible,” the document read. Leo also took on Big Tech in the document, highlighting the dangers of having a …

Silicon Valley turns to Rome as Pope Leo XIV prepares AI encyclical

Silicon Valley turns to Rome as Pope Leo XIV prepares AI encyclical

Published by Sam Flores

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — On Monday (May 25), Pope Leo XIV will release his first major papal document, an encyclical titled “Magnifica Humanitas” or “Magnificent Humanity,” expected to update Catholic social teaching for the age of artificial intelligence. Leo signed the document May 15, on the 135th anniversary of “Rerum Novarum,” the landmark 1891 encyclical by his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, that laid the foundations for modern Catholic social thought by defending workers and unions amid the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution. The parallel is deliberate. Since his election a little over a year ago, Leo has repeatedly described AI as a new industrial revolution, one whose consequences reach far beyond technology into war, labor, education, communication, truth, community and the environment. “The challenge we currently face is not technological, but anthropological, and it is my hope that the Encyclical Letter to be published within a few days will contribute to answering this challenge,” Leo wrote in a post on X on Friday (May 22). As evidenced by the unbridled promotion and implementation of technology …

Pope creates artificial intelligence study group as Vatican prepares to release his first encyclical

Pope creates artificial intelligence study group as Vatican prepares to release his first encyclical

Published by Sam Flores

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has created a study group on artificial intelligence, the Vatican said Saturday, as he gears up to release his first encyclical that is expected to emphasize the need for an ethics-based approach to the technology that prioritizes human dignity and peace. The Vatican said Leo had decided to create the in-house study group because of the acceleration in AI’s use, “its potential effects on human beings and on humanity as a whole (and) the church’s concern for the dignity of every human being.” The announcement came a day after Leo signed his encyclical, 135 years to the day after his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, dated his most important encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” or Of New Things. That document addressed workers’ rights, the limits of capitalism, and the obligations that states and employers owed workers as the Industrial Revolution was underway. It became the foundation of modern Catholic social thought, and the current pope has already cited it in relation to the AI revolution, which he believes poses the same …