Whenever humanity faces radical change, the church brings its understanding of the human person to the deeper questions that inevitably arise.
At the end of the 19th century, Pope Leo XIII issued his groundbreaking encyclical “Rerum Novarum” to address the impact of the Industrial Revolution on society and workers. He spoke about the harsh living and working conditions of the working class, who were forced to labor for long hours for meager wages and often in dangerous environments.
He struck a balance between criticizing how communism violated natural rights, while also criticizing the abuses of unchecked, laissez-faire capitalism. In doing so, he offered a third way that aimed at achieving a moral balance that protected human dignity, affirmed the right to private property, supported fair living wages and upheld the right of workers to form unions.
The encyclical ultimately became the foundational text for modern Catholic social doctrine, urging society to view labor as a fundamental human activity possessing inherent dignity, rather than merely as a commodity to be bought and sold.
Pope Leo XIV builds on that teaching in his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”). He refers to the emerging developments in artificial intelligence as a change of a different order, one reaching into thought, relationships, work and war. He makes it clear that AI cannot rule humanity; in fact he uses a powerful term equal to its threat by saying: AI must be “disarmed.”
To be sure, AI could contribute to human flourishing through potential advances in medicine and accelerating discoveries in a variety of areas. But AI presents unique challenges and serious threats, and the Holy Father calls each one of us and society as a whole to act responsibly.
We must candidly ask questions such as: What safeguards will protect children who may develop parasocial relationships with AI chatbots? The anticipated job displacement cannot be ignored, as this too could have profound effects on labor. What limits should govern AI in surveillance, biological research and warfare? How do data-center projects strain water and energy resources, and how do they affect the communities that host them?
How should AI be used in immigration enforcement? How should we respond to recent alarming reports that some advanced AI models have broken through testing boundaries and reached live systems? What effective and transparent guardrails are needed to guarantee cybersecurity and privacy rights, and the priority of human flourishing above successfully executed code?
The church neither opposes AI in general, nor mistakes it for a panacea. But Pope Leo reminds us that technologies are not neutral, and our commitment to a dignity-first approach must be unwavering. AI systems can advance participation and justice or deepen inequality, control and exclusion.
Progress is not measured simply by what a system can do or how much value it does or might produce, but by whether it helps people and societies become more fully human. Relying on “the algorithm” cannot become a moral alibi. Human beings remain accountable for decisions affecting people’s livelihood, freedom, health, environment or life.
The church will continue to ask questions and bring our moral tradition, institutions and global reach to advocate for shared responsibility. We will ask whom this is technology for, who bears its risks and who is being left behind. And, as Pope Leo has done, we will urge everyone to become engaged, because these decisions still remain ours to make.