- Pope Leo XIV released his first major encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on May 25, 2026; he warned that artificial intelligence is expanding faster than ethical safeguards and global regulations can keep up.
- Speaking from the Vatican, he said AI-driven warfare, misinformation, surveillance, and automation could destabilize societies if governments and corporations keep going after speed instead of taking responsibility.
- According to reports, the encyclical urges the world to slow down the global AI race, warning that only a few of these powerful tech companies and military actors now have unparalleled influence over humanity’s future.
Pope Leo XIV issued one of the strongest warnings on the global risks of artificial intelligence. In his first major encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity), released on May 25, 2026, he strongly advised world leaders, technology companies, and international bodies to rethink about how quickly AI technologies are being developed and rolled out.
What Did Pope Leo Warn About AI in His Encyclical?
NOW – Pope Leo XIV: "Artificial Intelligence needs to be disarmed." pic.twitter.com/kSxjSAWjmU
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) May 25, 2026
1. How AI Warfare Could Create Unending Conflict
One of Pope Leo’s main warnings focuses on artificial intelligence in warfare. The encyclical says autonomous and AI-assisted weapons can provoke unending conflict, with machines making life-and-death decisions with little to no human intervention and oversight.
Pope Leo said military powers are locked in a very risky race that is focused on automation, speed, and strategic advantage. He also warned that some AI systems are now operating beyond meaningful human control which raises hard ethical concerns over accountability during war.
2. Warning Against Big Tech’s Growing Influence
Another concern raised by Pope Leo is the concentration of AI power in a few multinational tech companies. He argued that a handful of corporations now have too much control over data systems, public communications, and digital infrastructure.
He warned that AI-driven platforms are shaping political debate and influencing public understanding of truth. Democratic institutions have high risk of losing influence as private corporations gain control.
He also criticized the race mentality around AI, where countries and companies compete to make faster and more powerful systems without realising the long-term consequences.
3. How AI Could Deepen Economic Inequality and Job Displacement
Pope Leo argued that rapid AI-driven automation threatens jobs and reduces workers to replaceable functions in a more automated economy.
The encyclical repeatedly references Pope Leo XIII’s defense of workers during the Industrial Revolution, calling AI the labour issue of the 21st century. Pope Leo said that technological progress shouldn’t come at the cost of human dignity.
He said societies could face greater inequality if AI mostly benefits corporations while millions of workers face uncertainty and job displacement. Automation from manufacturing to administrative work could potentially increase social divides if things stay the same.
He also called out exploitation in AI supply chains, including underpaid labor for data labeling, content moderation, and resource extraction in support of digital infrastructure.
4. AI Threatening Truth, Privacy, and Human Identity
Beyond warfare and economics, Pope Leo warned that AI systems threaten truth itself. The encyclical highlighted dangers from misinformation, deepfakes, algorithmic manipulation, and large-scale digital surveillance.
He said AI-generated content takes away trust in journalism, democracy, and social conversations. Societies driven by algorithms might soon struggle to tell the difference between what is real and what is fake. He is also worried about such systems threatening privacy, freedom, and basic human dignity.
Also read: X (aka Twitter) Adds Clear Warning Label for AI Images & Videos to Fight Misinformation
Conclusion
Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas places artificial intelligence at the core of today’s most defining ethical and political debates. As he warned about warfare, labor rights, misinformation, surveillance, and unchecked corporate power, he argued humanity is hurtling toward a machine-shaped future without proper safeguards.
