Pope Leo XIV used his first encyclical to call for strong regulation of artificial intelligence and urged developers to work for the common good rather than profit, according to the Associated Press. The document, “Magnifica Humanitas,” denounces the concentration of AI power and data among a small number of private companies, warns against entrusting lethal decisions to AI systems, and argues that ethics alone cannot substitute for legal frameworks and independent oversight. Leo also raised concern about AI displacing human jobs at large scale. The Vatican presentation included remarks from Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah, who welcomed the criticism and said external checks are essential to AI “going well.” The decision to involve Anthropic drew some criticism as an apparent papal endorsement, though others framed it as recognition of the company's prominence rather than approval. Anthropic is currently suing the Trump administration over a directive barring U.S. agencies from using its technology.
