- Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas , on Monday, calling for robust regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure it serves the common good rather than profit and to safeguard humanity from its impacts on work and warfare.
- The Pope denounced the 'culture of power' driving the AI race, particularly in developing sophisticated remote warfare, stating it is impermissible to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems and calling for external regulation and robust legal frameworks.
- Leo's stance on AI regulation creates a point of contention with the Trump administration, which has aggressively worked to deregulate AI development, and he previously drew criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump for criticising the Iran war.
- The encyclical highlights concerns over AI accelerating the 'normalisation of war', calling for accountability in AI deployment, protection for civilians, and declaring the Catholic Church’s 'just war' theory outdated due to technological advancements.
- Experts anticipate 'Magnifica Humanitas' will become a benchmark in the AI debate, with the Vatican engaging Silicon Valley firms like Anthropic in dialogue.
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