The encyclical is the pope’s first since his election last year. Emphasizing its significance, the pontiff took the unusual step of presenting it in person, accompanied by Canadian tech billionaire Christopher Olah, a co-founder of AI giant Anthropic.
In his letter to Catholic bishops and faithful around the world, Leo described AI not just as a technological issue, but as a turning point for civilization. The encyclical places particular emphasis on the dangers posed by autonomous weapons systems, algorithmic decision-making and the detachment of human responsibility from acts of war.
Leo, who holds a graduate degree in mathematics and once taught physics, does not reject artificial intelligence outright. But his encyclical emphasizes AI must remain subordinate to moral principles and new legal frameworks, ensuring new technologies “truly serve humanity.”
“No algorithm can make war morally acceptable,” he wrote, insisting artificial intelligence must be subjected to the strictest ethical constraints and accountability in warfare. “Any technology that facilitates attacks without seeing the face of human beings lowers the moral threshold of conflict.”