Pope Leo Issues AI Manifesto Warning That ‘Opaque Algorithms’ Controlled by a ‘Few’ Companies Can Bring ‘New Forms of Dehumanization’

Pope Leo XIV released a papal encyclical titled 'Magnifica Humanitas' calling for regulation of artificial intelligence, warning that opaque algorithms controlled by a few powerful companies risk new forms of dehumanization. The document urges robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, and political engagement to slow unchecked AI development. Notably, the Pope presented the encyclical alongside Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah, a company that has been engaging religious communities on AI ethics. The encyclical frames AI as neither inherently good nor evil, but shaped by those who build, fund, and regulate it.