Pope Leo warns that AI is fueling conflict and calls on the world to “slow down” progress.

Pope Leo warns that AI is fueling conflict and calls on the world to “slow down” progress.

By Alexander Smith
Publication Date: 2026-05-25 10:08:00

Pope Leo

In a comprehensive and highly anticipated manifesto on the subject, Leo warned that artificial intelligence should not be “concentrated in the hands of a few people.” He called for “disarming AI,” which “does not mean rejecting the technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity.”

He said that “pure regulation is not enough.”

The first American-born pope in history wrote a key text entitled “Magnifica Humanitas” in his first encyclical, outlining his perspective on global affairs.

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Pope Leo at the presentation of his first encyclical on Monday in the Vatican.Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

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