Pope Leo XIV Establishes AI Study Group Ahead of Encyclical Release
Pope Leo XIV has formed a Vatican study group on artificial intelligence as he prepares to release his first encyclical, emphasizing an ethics-based approach to AI that prioritizes human dignity and peace.
Pope Leo XIV has established a Vatican study group focused on artificial intelligence (AI), reflecting growing concerns about the ethical impact of AI as its global use accelerates. This initiative aligns with the upcoming release of Leo's first encyclical, which will likely address AI through the lens of Catholic social teaching—emphasizing dignity, justice, labor, and peace. The timing of the encyclical, signed exactly 135 years after Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum Novarum,” draws a direct parallel between the ethical challenges of today's AI revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
The Vatican aims to be a moral leader in AI governance, highlighting risks of bias, misinformation, and environmental impact, while promoting human-centered and principle-based oversight. The Church has already urged for ethical standards—signing the 2020 Rome Call for AI Ethics with major tech firms—and previously advocated for international AI treaties, including bans on lethal autonomous weapons.
Pope Leo, a math enthusiast, is particularly concerned about AI’s effect on truth and human relationships. His AI initiatives contrast with the Trump administration’s deregulatory, pro-AI growth approach, setting up potential ideological clashes as the global debate on AI ethics intensifies.
