Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical on Tuesday, warning that the artificial intelligence boom could grant Big Tech excessive power [1].

The document, titled "Magnifica Humanitas," signals a significant intervention by the Vatican into the global debate over technology. By calling for transparency and regulation, the Pope is positioning the Catholic Church as a moral watchdog against the rapid, unchecked expansion of algorithmic decision-making.

Released May 26, 2026 [2], the encyclical is the first major teaching issued since the Pope's appointment in May 2025 [1]. In the text, Leo XIV argues that the current trajectory of AI development threatens to undermine human dignity and the common good.

"Artificial intelligence threatens to normalize an anti-human vision," the Pope said [3].

He specifically targeted the concentration of power within a few large technology firms. He warned that if the development of these systems is governed only by technocratic thinking, the result may be a dangerous imbalance of authority.

"If AI is governed only by technocratic thinking and presented as necessary and inevitable, it risks giving too much power to Big Tech," the Pope said [1].

To counter these risks, the Vatican is calling for governments to implement strict ethical oversight, and transparency measures. The Pope suggested that the speed of innovation must be balanced with a commitment to human values — a move that may clash with the commercial interests of the tech industry.

"We must slow down the development of AI systems and ensure they serve the common good," the Pope said [4].

The encyclical describes the potential for AI to become a new "Tower of Babel," suggesting that the pursuit of technological omnipotence without moral grounding leads to fragmentation and confusion [3].

“"Artificial intelligence threatens to normalize an anti-human vision."”

This encyclical marks a strategic shift for the Vatican, moving from general ethical guidelines to a direct critique of the corporate structures controlling AI. By framing the AI boom as a threat to human dignity, Pope Leo XIV is attempting to mobilize global political and religious leaders to prioritize human-centric regulation over the profit-driven speed of Silicon Valley.