“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity) is the title of the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, who will visit Spain between June 6 and 12. The text is subtitled “On the custody of the human person in the time of artificial intelligence”, and focuses much of its reflections on technology and the risks of a technocratic paradigm and calls for defining a new spiritual, ethical and political framework that guarantees the preservation of human dignity.

With this encyclical, Leo XIV makes official a position that he already stated in his first days as pontiff. The choice of its name was influenced by the technological challenges facing society and a time that considered a new industrial revolution. Its inspiration is found in Leo XIII, whose pontificate took place between 1878 and 1903, and who led the Catholic Church in the context of the first great industrial revolution.

What’s more, Leo XIV signed his first encyclical on May 15, the same day that Leo At the same time, it has revealed the ambiguous side of instruments capable of causing harm when they are not oriented towards good.

The current Pope also continues with the discourse established by Pope Francis in his various encyclicals, texts and appeals to society, in which he reflected on artificial intelligence, mainly to warn of its risks and dangers; about deepfakes or social networks, misinformation and post-truth.

The dangers of technocracy

In this letter, Leo XIV considers that the trend towards technocracy has worsened in recent years due to the spread of AI, cognitive sciences, nanotechnology, robotics and biotechnology, and warns of a growing concentration of power in the digital world.

“In many cases, in the digital context, control of platforms, infrastructure, data and calculation capacity is not the prerogative of states, but of large economic and technological actors who, in fact, determine the conditions of access, the rules of visibility and the same possibilities of participation.”; he explains. “When power of such magnitude is concentrated in a few hands, it tends to become opaque and elude public control, and the risk of distorted development increases, causing new dependencies, exclusions, manipulations and inequalities.”.

He fears, as he explains, that the world will allow itself to be carried away by technology and reduce creation to an object of exploitation and people to gears of a system that is increasingly more effective. Thus, it urges prioritizing the inalienable dignity of the person, the common good, solidarity and social justice as principles to discern whether digital infrastructures and algorithms truly promote participation and responsibility, protect the most vulnerable, ensure equitable access to opportunities and are ordered for the good of all.

Leo XIV considers that AI can be a valuable help, but also believes that a prudent and cautious approach is necessary, especially when it comes to biases. “The impression of objectivity that the responses and proposals of these systems can provoke runs the risk of making us forget that they reflect the cultural parameters of those who have designed and trained them, with all their virtues and defects.“, says.

It also warns of the impact of artificial intelligence on relationships with others. “The artificial imitation of the care or accompaniment relationship can be dangerous when it is introduced in a poor context of real relationships and affections; So the risk is not so much that a person believes that he is talking to another person, but that he loses the very desire to really look for the other person.”says the pontiff.

In his letter, the Pope points out that artificial intelligence can fall into anti-human uses, such as the manipulation of information or the violation of privacy, and less obvious deceptions, such as the reinforcement of stereotypes or ideological positions of those who have designed and programmed them. In this sense, he assures that “we cannot consider AI as morally neutral” and invites us to question the way in which systems are designed, beyond asking whether their use is intended for a good or a bad purpose.

A “more present” policy for AI

Consequently, it calls for greater responsibility at all stages of technology: from those who design and program the systems to those who use them and those who entrust them with specific decisions. “Calling for prudence, rigorous controls and sometimes also a slowdown in the adoption of AI does not mean being against progress, but rather exercising responsible care towards the human family”, he explains.

Leo XIV asks “a more present policy”as well as adequate legal frameworks, independent surveillance, or greater user education, in order to prevent progress from being governed by technocratic logic that imposes its vision. “A more moral AI would be of no use if this morality is decided by a few”, points out the Pope.

It also calls on AI system developers for the ethical and spiritual weight of their work. He points out that just as the author of an artistic or literary work is obliged to consider the values ​​it manifests, developers are called to treat seriously the values ​​they instill in their projects: with transparency, with responsibility towards the communities involved and with attention to verifying that what is cultivated is really a good.

Furthermore, the Pope invites what he calls “disarm the AI“, with which it refers to “remove it from the logic of arms competition, which today is no longer only military but economic and cognitive“That is, detach it from geopolitical or commercial advantages over others, prevent it from dominating what is human, keep it away from monopolies, make it debatable, refutable.”The task, today, is not only ethical or technical; It is ecological in the most radical sense, because it challenges a new dimension of our common Home“he explains. “AI is already an environment in which we are immersed and a power that we must confront. Therefore, it is not enough to regulate it; it is necessary to dismantle it and make it cozy”.

Social networks and digital freedom

Linked to the advances of artificial intelligence and technological development, the Pope has also dedicated a part of his text to his concern about the rise of transhumanism, which he links to the empowerment of the human being through technologies; and posthumanism, which he points out imagines a new evolutionary stage as a result of a form of hybridization between the human being, the machine and the environment.

They criticize that they are shaping ways of seeing the world that despise the limit and promise a purely technical “salvation,” and vindicate human nature. “Today our relationship with life seems to be in crisis. Everything that represents a “limit”—disability, illness, old age, suffering, vulnerability—tends to be read mainly as a defect that must be corrected, rather than as a space in which the human being matures and opens up to relationships.“, explains Leo XIV. “Instead, we must remember that the human being does not flourish despite the limit, but often through the limit.”.

Beyond artificial intelligence, the Pope has also addressed issues such as disinformation, vindicating the work of journalism and the value of argumentation and verification over immediate reaction. It has also highlighted the need for educational awareness and training in the correct and critical use of digital platforms and social networks. Invites families, schools, communities and public institutions to promote “a renewed educational alliance” that puts the focus on freedom, responsibility, the sense of transcendence and the common good.

He also focuses part of his encyclical on the effect of the digital revolution on human freedom, since he understands the excess of time dedicated to platforms and social networks as a form of dependency. And he once again demands greater responsibility for those who run these spaces. “When business models prosper at the expense of human weakness, the person is treated as a means and not as an end, and those who design or finance these systems assume a moral responsibility from which they cannot exempt themselves.” says Leo XIV. Thus, he calls for promoting the use of technologies focused on education in digital sobriety, protection of minors and the fight against models that prosper at the cost of vulnerability.

Similarly, he has also alluded to the risk of social control linked to massive data collection and the use of algorithms. He assures that this gives the power to platforms to profile, predict and guide behaviors, “often without people being fully aware of it“The pontiff considers that what is amplified or what is visible, what is rewarded or penalized, shapes opinions and choices, generating conformism and self-censorship.”That is why freedom, in the digital age, is not just an internal question; It is also a public matter, which requires clear rules, transparency, avenues of appeal and proportionate limits to the use of invasive technologies, so that technology continues to be at the service of the person and does not become a form of domination of consciences.”, he explains.

The impact of AI on employment

On the other hand, the Pope has also reflected on the impact of AI on employment, and has expressed his concern about a mentality focused on reducing costs and increasing profits that results in a significant and rapid reduction in available jobs. He believes that this is already translating into new forms of precariousness and inequality.

“Without a doubt, it is desirable that technology frees man from especially heavy, repetitive or dangerous jobs, but the general rule must continue to be the protection of jobs and the irreplaceable role of the person.“; he recalled. “The objective of obtaining greater profits cannot justify decisions that systematically sacrifice employment, because the human person is an end and not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinated to their dignity and the common good.”.

Thus, it invites all agents to proactively adopt transformation management. Considers that any introduction of automation and AI should be accompanied by verifiable measures of employment protection, retraining and worker participation, so that technology is aimed at freeing up time and human capabilities, not at generating exclusion. It also calls for policies that make continuous training and professional transitions accessible, without offloading the entire cost of adapting to changes on individuals; and corporate responsibility that includes the quality and dignity of work among the indicators of success.