Published on May 25, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, addresses the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence and calls for the safeguarding of human dignity in a rapidly changing technological world. It teaches that though technology and AI can be powerful tools for good, they are never neutral and must be guided by moral responsibility, the common good and respect for the human person.
Drawing on the tradition of Catholic social teaching, the document warns against the dangers of dehumanization, economic inequality, manipulation of truth and the concentration of power in the hands of a few, urging instead a vision in which work, freedom and truth are protected. At its core, the encyclical emphasizes that human beings — created in the image of God — possess an intrinsic dignity that no machine can replace, and it calls for global solidarity and shared responsibility to ensure that technological progress serves humanity rather than dominates it, ultimately promoting a “civilization of love” in the digital age.