“Magnifica Humanitas:” an AI-related encyclical

On May 25, 2026 Pope Leo XIV released an encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas. It can be read (or printed) in its entirety, in several languages. Magnifica Humanitas is about “safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.”

Among many, Magnifica Humanitas contains arguments about:

• the dignity of the human person

• the significance of work in human dignity

• the need for technology to serve the common good

• the importance of transparency and accountability with AI

• the reasons why AI should not be empowered to make many decisions, including those regarding human life or death

• the need to “disarm” AI

• the true nature of education

The encyclical was a long-anticipated statement from Pope Leo XIV on AI and has energized debates around AI. Magnifica Humanitas draws broadly on previous church documents and tradition, especially Rerum Novarum (1891). It also builds on more recent discussions of artificial intelligence within the church. In January 2025, Pope Francis also offered a “Note on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence,” Antiqua et Nova and Francis’ Fratelli Tutti also figures prominently in Magnifica Humanitas.