The Vatican has released Pope Leo XIV’s long-awaited first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas — “Magnificent Humanity” — a major new teaching focused squarely on artificial intelligence.
The pope signed the text on 15 May, deliberately timing it to coincide with the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, the landmark encyclical issued by the previous pontiff to take the name Leo, Pope Leo XIII.
Rerum Novarum tackled the social and economic shocks unleashed by the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s.
Now, Pope Leo XIV has turned to what he framed as the defining upheaval of the present age: Artificial Intelligence.
In an unusual Vatican first, the pope appeared in the Synod Hall for the document’s publication, where it was presented to the Curia, diplomats and the media.
That style of rollout — a pope attending the presentation of his own encyclical — marks a notable break with routine and underscored the weight Pope Leo attaches to the text.
Attention quickly shifted to who would stand with him as the document was unveiled.
Pope Leo shakes hands with Christopher Olah ahead of the presentation
Seated beside a panel of cardinals and theologians was Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, one of the world’s most influential AI companies.
Mr Olah helped establish the US firm in 2021. Anthropic is behind the AI system Claude.
He has described Anthropic as an AI lab focused on the safety of large models.
By placing Mr Olah alongside senior church figures, the Vatican spotlighted the intersection of ethics, policy and power that increasingly surrounds AI.
Anthropic attracted the anger of the Trump administration earlier this year after it declined a Pentagon request for unconditional use of its Claude AI models.
The dispute escalated to the point where the US president called for the government to “immediately” stop using Anthropic technology.
Anthropic pledged to sue over what it described as “intimidation” and maintained that its systems should not be used for mass surveillance of US citizens or deployed in fully autonomous weapons systems.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon confirmed it had struck agreements with seven AI companies — not including Anthropic — to deploy advanced capabilities on the US Department of Defense’s classified networks, part of an effort to broaden the pool of AI firms working across the military.
Some observers say Mr Olah’s presence at the Vatican event could intensify the public dispute between Pope Leo and Donald Trump, which has sharpened in recent weeks.
Christopher Olah joined a panel of theologians and cardinals at the presentation
Last week, Pope Leo issued a forceful warning about autonomous weapons and the militarisation of emerging technology during a speech at Rome’s La Sapienza University, criticising the direction of AI use in current global conflicts.
He said heavy AI investment and high-tech weapons were pushing the world into a “spiral of annihilation”.
The Vatican’s interest in artificial intelligence did not begin with this encyclical.
Technology professionals in Silicon Valley alerted the Holy See to the scale of what was coming as early as 2016.
Those in Silicon Valley urged senior Vatican figures — including Bishop Paul Tighe, who is from Co Meath — to begin grappling with the issue.
Contacts between Vatican officials and Silicon Valley representatives have continued over a decade.
In that time, the Vatican has acknowledged AI’s potential benefits, particularly in medicine and education.
At the same time, it has signalled deep concern about how the technology can be exploited.
The pope has also raised alarms about job losses linked to AI.
In an irony that highlights the moment, Mr Olah’s company is currently looking for new offices in Dublin as it expands its EU Headquarters.
In March, the IDA said Anthropic had announced plans to significantly expand its Dublin presence over the coming year.
Even so, Central Statistics Office figures released last week pointed to a fall in employment levels in the tech sector.
Beyond labour issues and threats to jobs, the encyclical is set to address themes including justice, peace and morality.
The substantial document is expected to serve as the first major signpost in Catholic teaching on artificial intelligence — and to shape Pope Leo’s pontificate in the years ahead.
