Pope Leo XIV Issues AI Encyclical, Calls for Oversight
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- Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," on Monday, focusing on safeguarding humanity amid artificial intelligence.
- Pope Leo XIV warned that AI power concentrated in a small elite leads to opacity, manipulation, and new inequalities, urging clear criteria and community‑based oversight.
- Chris Olah, co‑founder of Anthropic, co‑presented the encyclical with the pope, highlighting the tech industry's role in the discourse.
- President Donald Trump delayed signing his AI executive order, reportedly at the urging of VC investor and former White House AI czar David Sacks, days before the encyclical’s release.
Why it matters: Tech regulators and civil society gain a moral rallying point for AI oversight, while powerful tech elites lose unchecked influence; the encyclical’s timing may pressure lawmakers ahead of Trump’s pending AI order.
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