Pope Leo's 1st Encyclical: AI and an Apology for Slavery

Monday, May 25, 2026

Pope Leo has denounced the "culture of power" driving the rapid rise of artificial intelligence while warning that the technology must be subject to the "most rigorous" ethical constraints as it infiltrates everything from work to war. In his encyclical -- the first major text on safeguarding humankind of his papacy " Leo, the first US-born pontiff, also apologized for the Catholic church's long delay in condemning slavery, describing it as "a wound in Christian memory," while warning about the "new forms of slavery" due to the digital economy.

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In a break from tradition, Leo, who soon after being elected in May last year said he considered AI to be the biggest threat to humanity today, presented the document himself on Monday during an event at the Vatican. Among those in attendance was Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, a US-based AI firm that has clashed with Donald Trump's administration.

Encyclicals are one of the highest forms of teaching from a pope to the Catholic church's 1.4 billion members, and typically outline his priorities while highlighting the major issues in society.

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