Pope Leo XIV releases encyclical Magnifica Humanitas on AI and human dignity

On May 25 2026 Pope Leo XIV issued his first papal encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, a 42,000‑word document that addresses the ethical, social and political challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Signed on May 15 2026, the text frames AI as a technology that must remain subordinate to human dignity, warning that “Artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain… nor have a moral conscience.”

The encyclical calls for the “disarmament” of AI, especially autonomous weapons, arguing that delegating lethal decisions to machines erodes moral responsibility and risks a new arms race. It urges democratic societies to regulate AI, protect the vulnerable from concentration of power in corporate and state hands, and apply Catholic social principles such as solidarity, subsidiarity and the universal destination of goods to the digital age.

Leaders of the Catholic Church present the document as a moral guide for the global community of over 1.3 billion Catholics and as a contribution to worldwide debates on algorithmic transparency, data protection and AI governance.