Two popes, two industrial revolutions — and one warning for Big AI
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, calls for a response to artificial intelligence similar to the approach taken by Pope Leo XIII during the Industrial Revolution. The encyclical emphasizes the need for a just social order in light of economic upheaval caused by new technologies. It draws parallels between historical economic challenges and the current landscape, advocating for collaborative solutions to address wealth inequality.
- ▪Pope Leo XIV released his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas on May 25, 2026.
- ▪The encyclical aims to address the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, similar to Pope Leo XIII's response to the Industrial Revolution.
- ▪Leo XIV uses biblical metaphors to illustrate the need for collaboration and shared responsibility in rebuilding society.
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With the release of his encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas on May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV has signaled that he wants the church to respond to artificial intelligence much as a predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, responded to upheavals during the Industrial Revolution over a century ago.Recommended Video Since the first act of his papacy – choosing his name – the current pope has repeatedly invoked the earlier Leo’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum. That document, which waded into the political and economic debates of the time, denounced the excesses of the Gilded Age and pointed toward a more just social order. Now, Leo XIV has used his first major statement to the world to present a new Rerum Novarum for the age of AI. Rerum Novarum was more than just a theological text.
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