Pope Leo XIV to Launch Encyclical on AI and Human Dignity

Pope Leo XIV, alongside Christopher Olah from AI company Anthropic, will introduce the pontiff’s first encyclical on the care of human dignity in the age of AI on May 25, the Vatican announced.

Anthropic emphasizes safety and risk mitigation in its AI research. The participation of Olah highlights the importance of AI safety to the Vatican. This move comes amid tensions with the Trump administration, which recently prohibited U.S. agencies from using Anthropic’s technology due to the company’s imposed limits on military use, leading to a legal challenge from Anthropic.

Pope Leo, prioritizing AI’s ethical use since the start of his pontificate, has voiced concerns over AI’s role in warfare and the need for vigilant monitoring.

The document titled Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) will be launched formally in the Vatican by key figures, including Cardinals Víctor Manuel Fernández and Michael Czerny, along with speakers such as Olah, theologians Anna Rowlands and Leocadie Lushombo. The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, will provide closing remarks.

Signed by Pope Leo on May 15, the encyclical coincides with the anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s seminal encyclical on workers’ rights and capitalism’s limits during the Industrial Revolution. This new document aligns AI’s societal implications with the Church’s teachings on labor, justice, and peace.

Dario Amodei, Anthropic’s chief and former OpenAI employee, formed Anthropic in 2021 to focus on AI safety, diverging from OpenAI’s vision led by Sam Altman. Anthropic aims to lead alongside rivals in the development of safe artificial general intelligence.

Anthropic has expressed concerns about AI technology being used by authoritarian regimes. It stresses the need for democratic nations to establish norms to prevent misuse. With a valuation reaching $380 billion, Anthropic competes with firms like OpenAI and SpaceX, which recently merged with Elon Musk’s AI entity xAI.