What Pope Leo Should Have Said About AI
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas is often viewed as critical of technology, yet it reflects a more accepting stance towards technological progress. The document contrasts with the polarized public debate in the U.S. regarding artificial intelligence, where enthusiasm from proponents meets significant skepticism. The encyclical suggests that society must adapt to AI, raising questions about whether resistance to such technology is a viable option.
- ▪Pope Leo XIV's encyclical is seen as both critical and accepting of technological development.
- ▪The encyclical's tone is calm and moderate, differing from the heated American debate on AI.
- ▪It assumes that generative AI is a permanent fixture in society, prompting discussions on adaptation versus resistance.
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What Pope Leo Should Have Said About AI Gregory Conti June 03, 2026 Share Share via X Share via Facebook Share via email Copy link June 03, 2026 Share Share via X Share via Facebook Share via email Copy link Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas has been generally understood as a tech-critical document, but in fact, the text bespeaks an acquiescence to technological development as the natural course of human events. Indeed, the encyclical is remarkably “calm and moderate” in tone, as Andrew Sullivan has pointed out, and therefore stands in contrast to the polling and public debate in the pope’s native land, where the fervent enthusiasm for this new technology on the part of its promoters has been met with hostility and alarm about it from the majority.In this regard, Magnifica…
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