Pope Leo XIV’s ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ Encyclical Connects AI Ethics to Catholic Social Doctrine

Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas* frames the challenges of artificial intelligence and the digital age through the lens of Catholic social teaching. The document begins with a systematic exposition of the Church’s social doctrine, grounding its analysis in the inherent dignity of every person and the five core principles of the common good, universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity, and social justice.

Commentators such as Fr. Enrique Eguiarte and Archbishop João Santos Cardoso highlight how the encyclical draws on Augustine’s thought—especially the contrast between the “city of man” and the “city of God”—to warn against the dehumanising pressures of unchecked technological power. It urges regulation that prevents data and AI control from remaining in the hands of private corporations and calls for broader societal participation to protect vulnerable groups.

The encyclical thus positions moral, anthropological, and theological criteria as essential for evaluating AI, suggesting that the true question is whether technology serves human dignity and the common good rather than merely what it can achieve.