Pope Leo XIV has issued his first social encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, calling for robust regulations on artificial intelligence. According to the Vatican, the document criticizes the concentration of AI power in the hands of a few corporate actors without adequate safeguards, and explicitly forbids entrusting lethal decisions to AI systems. The letter, days after the pope described AI as the biggest challenge facing humanity, sets up a direct clash with the Trump administration’s deregulatory approach.

The encyclical’s four core demands on AI

As reported by the source, Magnifica Humanitas focuses on four main pillars: the need for external regulation of corporate AI development, protection for vulnerable groups such as children, a ban on autonomous lethal weapons,and safeguards against mass labor displacement. the pope denounced a “culture of power” driving the AI race, especially in remote warfare. the Vatican involved Anthropic, the AI company, in drafting discussions, but the encyclical still criticized the private sector’s unchecked control over data and algorithms.

Why the Vatican turned to Anthropic — and why Anthropic is now suing the White House

The Vatican’s choice to collaborate with Anthropic reflects an effort to engage Silicon Valley directly,according to the report. Anthropic’s representative, Olah, told the Associated Press that external checks are “fundamental to the teechnology going well for humankind” and warned of a “real possibility that AI will displace human labor at a very large scale.” Meanwhile, Anthropic is currently suing the Trump administration after it ordered all federal agencies to stop using the company’s tools for refusing to grant the U.S. military unrestricted access to its systems.

An echo of past papal critiques of unaccountable power

This is not the first time a pope has taken on emerging technology. Previous encyclicals have addressed nuclear weapons, genetic engineering, and enviromental exploitation. Magnifica Humanitas extends that tradition by framing AI not merely as a technical issue but as a moral and governance crisiis, one in which a handful of corporate leaders hold outsized influence over global decision-making. The source notes the pope repeatedly criticized the “power and data in the hands of so few individuals in the private sector.”

What remains unclear after the encyclical

The document does not specify which regulatory model the Vatican endorses—whether a binding international treaty, national legislatioon, or industry self-governance.. It also leaves unanswered the question of enforcement: how the Vatican, as a sovereign entity, could compel compliance beyond moral authority. moreover, the encyclical singles out unnamed “certain people” in corporations, but does not name specific companies beyond referencing the Anthropic partnership. The source does not indicate whether the pope’s office plans subsequent technical guidance or a framework for implementation.