Essay - AI and the Question of What It Means to Be Human

On Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, Magnifica humanitas: On safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.¹

Is society being lured into losing itself in yet another Tower of Babel?² Is it plunging into one-sidedness, uniformity, and a technocratic paradigm—a society in which “a single language, a single technology, a single direction” is to reign?³ Or will we choose the rebuilding of Jerusalem,⁴ where human dignity and collective action form the new language—not a single language, but a shared one? Pope Leo XIV opens his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”) with these two images. The writing addresses the dizzying pace of technological developments and serves as a call to action—a wake-up call—to take responsibility for our humanity: “We are living through a rapid phase of transition, a ‘change of era,’ in which—while some are vying for the future of new technologies and others dedicate themselves to reflecting on the matter—most people are watching and waiting, observing from afar and merely hoping for the best.”⁵ Previously, the Pope spoke out against U.S. military actions. Here again, he plainly conveys his understanding of the spirit of the times.

In the Aula Nuova del Sinodo

On Monday, May 25, 2026 colleagues and journalists welcomed Pope Leo XIV in the Aula Nuova del Sinodo [New Hall of the Synod]. The occasion was his first encyclical (signed on May 15) and the 135th anniversary of the encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII, his namesake and predecessor, in 1891. This earlier encyclical, Rerum novarum (“On New Things”), established the foundation for the modern Catholic social teaching, to which Pope Leo XIV explicitly refers.⁶ His encyclical is one of the Holy See’s most significant doctrinal documents. In it, the Catholic Church leadership takes a stand; it is addressed to the 1.4 billion believers and “to all people of good will.” A fast-paced video opened the gathering.⁷ Footage of past popes during pivotal public moments alternated with scenes of technological developments and their impacts—from factories and computers to the first atomic bomb explosion on July 16, 1945 in the desert of New Mexico, as well as imagery related to the use of social media. The music softened. Images of vulnerable populations, children, and nature appeared on the screen, followed by the concepts “solidarity,” “common good,” “subsidiarity,” and “social justice”—principles of Catholic social teaching. Tension rose among members of the large Church community, while outsiders may have felt skeptical.

Exploring the Spiritual and Cultural Roots of These Changes

After he took office on May 8, 2025, people often wondered whether—and how—the new pope would follow in the footsteps of his popular predecessor, Francis. Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,⁸ led many to view him as the ecological, green pope. He linked environmental and climate issues to social and economic challenges and called for the crises of our time to be understood as an expression of a deeper spiritual crisis. According to various observers, the new pope is succeeding in building on his predecessor’s legacy by drawing on this encyclical.

In Magnifica Humanitas, Leo XIV calls for a “shared discernment process for identifying the spiritual and cultural roots of ongoing transformations.”⁹ In the subchapter “Breaking the chains of new forms of slavery,” he posits that “it is not enough to invoke efficiency, nor to celebrate the benefits of innovation, if they are built on a chain of exploitation that remains deliberately hidden. If technology promises emancipation, yet produces new forms of global subordination, it stands in contradiction to the fundamental principle of human dignity.”¹⁰ This development is attributed to the underlying and profound narratives of transhumanism and posthumanism. It is noteworthy that a co-founder of Anthropic, one of the largest AI enterprises—33-year-old Christopher Olah—appeared as a speaker alongside the pope. Olah spoke in favor of a future that respects human dignity and of developing AI in service to humanity. According to Olah, AI technology differs fundamentally from other technologies, such as aircraft construction, where developers can understand how a system was designed. AI, on the other hand, is not merely built but rather—and in a certain sense—”grows” independently of its creators. “They remain in important ways mysterious even to those of us who train them,” said Olah.¹¹ The questions raised by AI cannot, therefore, be answered by its developers alone, but require the input of spiritual, cultural, and philosophical communities. Olah raised three questions: 1) “How can we ensure the gains of AI are shared globally?” 2) “If AI models are going to be widespread, what does it look like for humans, families, and the world to flourish?” 3) “[W]hat is actually happening inside [AI]”?¹²

Who Will Answer?

The Pope’s densely written encyclical contains much more. At the same time, it should be clear that there are numerous dissenting voices and objections, including some within the Catholic Church itself, which throughout its history has repeatedly been entangled in abuses of power and violations of human dignity—to name just the tip of the iceberg. One question remains: Who are the people and institutions of spiritual, cultural, and philosophical life to which Christopher Olah refers? Who can help find answers to these crucial questions of our time and help shape this historic moment? This work should not take place behind closed doors, but on the world stage for all to see. The encyclical concludes with a call to action and a statement: “Every technical or economic decision should include spiritual discernment and be an opportunity for assessing whether the advances in AI are promoting justice and participation or concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a select few.”¹³ I invite you to take a clear look at the supply chains of digital products, at the working conditions hidden behind our technical devices, at the mechanisms that profit from manipulation and war, and—at the same time—to seek concrete ways to promote justice, participation, and the care of creation. The hope we proclaim comes from heaven, “to create a new story here below.”¹⁴

Translation Joshua Kelberman
Photo Pope Leo XIV, 2025. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Post Views: 0

Footnotes

Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence (encyclical letter, May 15, 2026), Vatican.
Gen 11:1–9.
See footnote 1.
Neh 2–6.
See footnote 1.
Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum: On Capital and Labor (encyclical letter, May 15, 1891), Vatican.
See: Presentation of Encyclical Letter Magnifica humanitas, May 25, 2026 – Pope Leo XIV
Pope Francis, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home (encyclical letter, May 24, 2015), Vatican.
See footnote 1.
See footnote 1.
Christopher Olah, “Anthropic Co-Founder Chris Olah’s Remarks on Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas,”Anthropic, May 25, 2026, accessed June 20, 2026.
Ibid.
See footnote 1.
See footnote 1.