Pope Leo Warns of Digital Slavery in AI Letter
Pope Leo XIV shared his first major letter on Monday at the Vatican. The letter was sent to bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.
It warned of "new digital slaveries" caused by artificial intelligence. The Pope said AI should be "disarmed" and made safe for people.
He compared AI to the Industrial Revolution as a defining challenge. He warned AI could deepen global conflicts and harm society.
He also said AI run by a few profit-driven groups is a "new form of colonial dominion." The letter included an apology for the Catholic Church's role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Pope Leo called for broader rules and diverse voices in shaping AI.
The letter is titled "Magnifica Humanitas" meaning Magnificent Humanity. Chris Olah co-founded the AI company Anthropic and attended the event. His presence was part of an effort to encourage talks between AI researchers and wider society.
Key Terms 5
- Encyclical A major formal letter written by the Pope to Catholic bishops worldwide
- Artificial intelligence Computer systems that can think and make decisions like humans
- Industrial Revolution Period in the 1800s when machines changed how people lived and worked
- Colonial dominion When a powerful group controls others for profit like past empires did
- Anthropic A leading AI research company based in the United States