Pope Leo XIV warned Monday of the dangers presented by artificial intelligence (AI), especially citing the threat of “increasingly autonomous weapons systems practically beyond human reach to govern effectively.”

The topic of AI regulation was addressed in his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, or magnificent humanity, on safeguarding the human person in the time of AI. As among the most significant instructive documents that a pope can issue, an encyclical serves as commentary and authoritative guidance on the doctrines of the Church as they relate to political, social or ethical questions.

In the document, Pope Leo urged responsibility, transparency and inclusivity at every stage in the development and use of AI, in order to prevent the loss of human connections in the digital age transition.

These criticisms take aim largely at AI developers, calling for more accountability to be taken within these systems that may reflect the biases of their creators, and have the potential to create a new type of exclusivity. The encyclical he stated:

AI tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources, expertise and access to data. In light of the common good and the universal destination of goods, this raises serious concerns, since small but highly influential groups can shape information and consumption patterns, influence democratic processes and steer economic dynamics to their own advantage, undermining social justice and solidarity among peoples.

Pope Leo emphasized that the Church is not opposed to technological progress, but that the rapid development of AI poses the imminent risk of major consequences that will be difficult to recover from. He urged its expansion to be slowed so that developers can better understand the technology’s potential impacts, and shape it in a way that does not just serve the privileged few and does not entrench concentrations of power.

Additionally, the pope compared the labor practices of the emerging AI industry to a modern form of slavery, a concept that has been discussed before in relation to underpaid workers engaged in training and data labeling. He conveyed that the only way to correct these systematic wrongs is by working together to reshape the AI establishment.

Moving forward, Pope Leo called for the Church to be involved in discussions around AI as a body that possesses relevant knowledge on “wisdom concerning the human.”