Reports say Pope Leo XIV plans to use his first encyclical to warn about the risks posed by artificial intelligence and to call for ethical limits on its use.
An encyclical is a formal papal letter addressed to the global Catholic community; when a pope uses that format to discuss a subject it signals the issue’s moral and social importance. CBS News contributor Candida Moss spoke about the developing document and what it could mean for the church’s engagement with technology.
According to media reports, the encyclical is expected to emphasize concerns about how AI is developed and deployed — the threats it can pose to human dignity, fairness and social cohesion if left unchecked. Possible themes noted by analysts include:
– Human dignity and moral responsibility: urging designers, companies and governments to put human welfare, solidarity and the common good above narrow profit or efficiency goals.
– Economic and social effects: addressing risks such as job displacement, widening inequality and diminished agency for vulnerable populations.
– Bias, surveillance and civil liberties: calling attention to systems that entrench prejudice, enable intrusive monitoring or concentrate power in unaccountable hands.
– Safety and weapons: warning against autonomous weaponization and advocating limits on applications that could cause broad or irreversible harm.
– Regulatory and ethical governance: urging international cooperation on standards, transparency, accountability and meaningful oversight of advanced systems.
Vatican officials and Catholic thinkers have for years engaged with the ethics of technology, and this encyclical would formalize the new pope’s position at a global level. Observers say the document could combine moral theology with practical recommendations for governments, industry and faith communities — pressing for laws and norms that protect people while encouraging technological innovation that serves the common good.
If widely read, the encyclical could influence public debate, shape the priorities of Catholic institutions worldwide, and add a moral voice to ongoing international efforts to regulate AI.
CBS News’ Candida Moss noted that, while details remain limited, the pope’s intervention would join other calls from scientists, ethicists and policymakers for clearer safeguards and stronger global cooperation on AI.
The encyclical’s final language and timing were not confirmed in the reports; the Vatican typically reviews such texts carefully before publication. Still, the expectation that Pope Leo XIV will foreground AI reflects growing concern about the technology’s rapid spread and the question of who bears responsibility for steering it toward humane ends.