Pope Leo XIV on Monday set out a sweeping vision for corporate executives, politicians and individuals who will shape and be shaped by the future of artificial intelligence, warning leaders to safeguard humanity from A.I.\u2019s most disruptive effects.<\/p>\n
Leo\u2019s declaration came in the form of a papal encyclical<\/a>, an open letter to \u201call people of good will\u201d that ran to roughly 42,300 words in its English version<\/a>. It outlined his desire to protect human dignity and agency in an age in which technology threatens to replace humans in many professional and social roles. He presented it alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, a major A.I. developer, in a symbolic gesture of dialogue between leaders of the spiritual and technological worlds.<\/p>\n While emphasizing that \u201ctechnology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity,\u201d he wrote that \u201cthe pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Among other things, Leo called for:<\/p>\n government regulation of the private companies that are driving the development of A.I.<\/p>\n protection and retraining for workers whose jobs are threatened<\/p>\n education to help students think critically about the technology<\/p>\n action to protect children from violent, hypersexualized or fake information online that is often generated by A.I.<\/p>\n safeguards to ensure that humans, not artificial intelligence, remain responsible for all decisions regarding the use of weapons.<\/p>\n Above all he emphasized the importance of retaining a fundamental social role for all human beings. \u201cA society that guarantees employment to only a small fraction of the population, despite having a high level of technical development, risks exposing many to forced inactivity,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cThis creates a paradox of material progress and anthropological regression that undermines the foundations of a just and stable social peace,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Leo, presenting the encyclical to a packed hall at the Vatican, said his views had been shaped by conversations with scientists, engineers and political leaders. He singled out Mr. Olah, with whom he pledged to work \u201cto find a way for humanity in this time of artificial intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a great sign of hope it is that in our differences we can listen to one another,\u201d Leo said.<\/p>\n Mr. Olah, who is not Catholic, praised the pope\u2019s initiative, acknowledging that companies like his own need moral guidance to avoid being swayed by \u201ca set of incentives and constraints that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend,\u201d Mr. Olah added.<\/p>\n \u201cToday is just the beginning \u2014 the start of a long collaboration between those of us who are building this and those who can see what we, from the inside, cannot,\u201d Mr. Olah said. Both men spoke, along with a panel of theologians and Vatican officials, before an audience of cardinals, computer scientists, journalists and diplomats including Brian Burch, the United States ambassador to the Holy See.<\/p>\n Leo had made clear his concerns with A.I. as early as his second day as pope, just over a year ago, when he told the College of Cardinals<\/a> that, under his leadership, the church would address the risks that the evolving technology poses to \u201chuman dignity, justice and labor.\u201d<\/p>\n He has since repeatedly spoken about A.I., including during a trip to Turkey and Lebanon<\/a>, in an address to Catholic university<\/a> leaders and even when celebrating the international day of mathematics<\/a>. Last week, the Vatican announced it had created a commission of senior Catholic officials to discuss the challenges posed by A.I.<\/p>\n Pope Francis, Leo\u2019s immediate predecessor, had also warned about<\/a> the dangers of artificial intelligence and called for the ethical use of technology.<\/p>\n Although Leo publicly presented his encyclical on Monday, he formally signed it on May 15, the 135th anniversary of the publication of \u201cRerum Novarum,\u201d \u2014 or \u201cOf New Things\u201d in English \u2014 a major encyclical written in 1891 by his namesake, Leo XIII.<\/p>\n The pope\u2019s encyclical was timed to prompt<\/a> comparisons with that earlier document, which guided Catholic teaching on how to protect workers after the technological and industrial disruptions of the 19th century.<\/p>\n