Pope Leo XIV Forms AI Working Group Ahead of First Encyclical

Context The Vatican has long engaged with technology ethics, issuing the Rome Call for AI Ethics in 2020 and publishing guidelines for AI in defense, education and health. Pope Leo XIV, who chose his name to honor Pope Leo XIII, signed the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas on May 15, the 135th anniversary of Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, the 1891 letter that laid the foundation of modern Catholic social teaching during the industrial revolution. By linking the current digital revolution to that historic shift, the pope frames AI as a moral challenge concerning human dignity, work, justice and peace.

Key Facts On May 16 the pope authorized an inter‑dicasterial working group on artificial intelligence, drawing members from seven Vatican bodies including the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The group will rotate its presidency among the participating institutions and will coordinate AI activities, share information, set internal use rules and study AI’s impact on humanity. The encyclical Magnifica Humanitas will be unveiled on May 25 at 11:30 AM in the Synod Hall, with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Christopher Olah of Anthropic, Anna Rowlands of Durham University and Dr. Léocadie Lushombo of the Jesuit School of Theology listed as speakers. Olah’s presence highlights the Vatican’s interest in AI safety research, given his role at the firm behind the Claude model.

What It Means The new working group signals the Holy See’s intent to create a coordinated internal response to AI developments, aligning with its longstanding call for technology to complement rather than replace human intelligence. By anchoring the encyclical in the tradition of Rerum Novarum, the pope situates AI within a framework of social doctrine that addresses labor, equity and the common good. The inclusion of an AI safety researcher from Anthropic suggests the Vatican will weigh both the promise and the risks of generative models, especially regarding truth, beauty and the potential for deepfakes. Observers will watch how the group’s recommendations shape Vatican policy and whether the encyclical influences broader debates on AI regulation.