Pope Leo XIV publicly presented his first encyclical, _Magnifica Humanitas_, on May 25, a nearly 42,000-word document focusing on artificial intelligence challenges and calling for its regulation. The Pope views AI as a transforming technology that needs to be “disarmed,” currently benefiting a small elite while exposing the public to risks, creating “epistemic, economic, and political asymmetry” and new monopolies.
Signed on May 15th, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s _Rerum Novarum_, the encyclical deliberately parallels the moral urgency expressed by his predecessor in response to the Industrial Revolution, expressing concern that AI displaces jobs and widens the wealth gap. Interviewee Ilia Delio, a Franciscan Sister, agrees with the Pope’s concerns about AI distorting human values and its rapid pace, but questions his solutions and narrow interpretation of transhumanism and posthumanism. Delio believes the encyclical will not slow AI’s exponential advance, which is projected to lead to a “singularity” around 2045, and may create confusion among the faithful. She also notes the encyclical’s lack of contemporary scientific references, relying instead on classic theological sources.
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