Pope Leo XIV Issues First Encyclical, Calls on Nations to Legislate and Regulate AI | WPN World People News

On the 25th, Pope Leo XIV released his first historic encyclical since taking office, the 10,000-word Magnifica Humanitas, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI). He strongly warned that without moral and legal constraints, AI technology could bring about a “new form of digital slavery” for humanity. He urged governments around the world to take decisive action by introducing legislation to “disarm” AI and ensure that technological development returns to serving human dignity.

In the encyclical, the Pope sounded an alarm over civilization and morality. He emphasized that AI development should be guided by the “common good,” and that technology must never be used for military wrongdoing. He also stated that the pursuit of economic profit should not become a justification for replacing human labor with AI, stressing that AI should promote human well-being instead. In response to the rapid advancement of AI, Pope Leo XIV called on the international community to confront the impact and potential destruction that technology may bring to human civilization, insisting that humanity has a responsibility to guide AI toward a future grounded in human compassion.

The initiative immediately drew widespread international attention. Dario Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic, was invited to attend the release event. He admitted that the tech industry is under immense pressure to develop and monetize AI technologies, and said there is an urgent need for “a moral voice that is not swayed by利益,” as well as ethical scrutiny and guidance. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also praised the Pope’s AI encyclical, calling it an essential moral example for the modern age.

In addition to focusing on the technological crisis, the Pope recently issued a public apology in another setting for the historical institution of slavery. This encyclical serves not only as a stern warning against the misuse of technology, but also as a key declaration by the Pope to safeguard human agency and moral boundaries.