Pope Leo XIV warns AI could worsen warfare and links sexual ethics to social justice

In the final chapter of his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV cautions that artificial intelligence may lower the threshold for the use of force, shield decision‑makers from responsibility and treat civilians as mere statistics. He argues that technology detached from Catholic social teaching could make life‑and‑death choices more rapid and impersonal, urging a culture of love and justice to guide AI development.

The pope also stresses that sexual ethics cannot be separated from social ethics. Citing Genesis and the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, he explains that human sexuality is integral to the communal nature of persons and that moral teachings on sex have broad public implications, influencing issues such as marital fidelity and the respect owed to women.