Technology

Executive summary

Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas,' on May 25, calling for robust global regulation of artificial intelligence to safeguard humanity from its disruptive effects. The document warns against widespread job displacement, the potential for AI to fuel conflicts, and autonomous weapons systems operating beyond human control. Speaking at the Vatican alongside Pope Leo, Chris Olah, co-founder of AI company Anthropic, underscored that AI development should not be left solely to technology companies, emphasizing the need for greater oversight from religious leaders, governments, and civil society. Olah highlighted the commercial and geopolitical pressures on AI labs that can conflict with societal interests and pointed to job losses, equitable global distribution of AI benefits, and interpreting complex AI system behavior as urgent concerns.