Pope Leo XIV received online praise for voicing concerns about AI in his encyclical. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Catholic Church is having a bit of a moment right now.
Pope Leo XIV (the first American pope, from Chicago) has long been a high-profile critic of generative AI, positioning the Catholic Church as a moral voice speaking truth to the power of Silicon Valley.
In his first encyclical, Pope Leo outlined his concerns—not just about generative AI, but about the crucial choices facing humanity in our fast-changing modern world.
“In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human,” the pope wrote.
The encyclical emphasizes the importance of collective decision-making and human dignity, warning against the concentration of power and profit in the hands of a few, condemning “the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak.”
On social media, AI-critics were delighted to see that the pope had joined their ranks, viewing the encyclical as a powerful document that could strengthen the growing backlash against AI.
After all, the pope is regarded as God’s representative on Earth—the 1.4 billion Catholics across the world are likely to take his concerns seriously.
The encyclical, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), is lengthy, but very much worth reading—it’s a thoughtful argument against the unchecked growth of generative AI and other technologies.
Social media users praised Pope Leo for engaging with an issue that is becoming a growing concern for Gen Z, sparking fears of widespread unemployment, disinformation and proliferation of “AI-slop.”
Many commentators posted memes about the rise of an unexpected ally.
Others joked about returning to the Catholic Church after a lifetime of agnosticism and atheism.
Many posted memes about the upcoming “Butlerian Jihad,” a joke inspired by the lore of Dune.
What Is The Meaning Of ‘Butlerian Jihad’?
Frank Herbert’s iconic Dune novels (now experiencing a resurgence, thanks to the Timothée Chalamet-led blockbusters), contain an intriguingly prescient bit of world-building.
If you’ve ever wondered why the sci-fi future depicted in Dune seems to lack complex software, it’s because Herbert’s universe experienced a violent uprising against “thinking machines,” known as the Butlerian Jihad.
While retro-futurism is a fairly common sci-fi aesthetic (most famously, Star Wars), the Dune films lack computers for good reason.
Herbert imagined a universe in which humans suffered terrible displacement after turning their decision-making to machines, which resulted in an explosive pushback and a spiritual renewal for humanity.
In Dune, the creation of a “thinking machine” is outlawed, which is why the existing machines seem so simple and organic, relying on Spice-enhanced abilities to make complex calculations and navigate spaceships.
However, Pope Leo’s encyclical doesn’t quite call for the mass destruction of data centers, despite the enthusiasm of AI-critics.
What Does Pope Leo XIV Say In His ‘Anti-AI’ Encyclical?
Memes surrounding the pope’s encyclical are fairly surface-level interpretations of his argument, fueled by screenshots and headlines (not unexpected, given the nature of memes).
The encyclical delves into the dangers of AI, but also highlights the problems of inequality, dehumanization and the normalization of war, while emphasizing the importance of solidarity, compassion and shared responsibility.
It’s not entirely focused on AI, but reflects on the current state of humanity and the path ahead, questioning what kind of technology is being built and who it serves.
The pope clarifies that technology is not inherently evil, but “never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it.”
Some of the encyclical reads as a condemnation of the “life-maxxing” philosophies emerging from Silicon Valley, mentioning transhumanism and the dangers of trying to perfect the human body, encouraging readers to embrace limitations and weaknesses.
The pope references two Biblical stories as metaphorical branching paths that humanity faces in the digital age, illustrating the rise of generative AI and other technologies.
He uses the story of the Tower of Babel as an example of a prideful project which sacrificed “human dignity for efficiency,” and was ultimately doomed.
Rebuilding the destroyed walls of Jerusalem was the second story, used as an example of a constructive, community-led effort that did not rely on imposing “solutions from above.”
“On the one hand, there is the Tower of Babel, where collective effort follows a plan that dominates and ultimately dehumanizes … On the other hand, there are the ruins of Jerusalem, which under Nehemiah’s direction are rebuilt piece by piece as a project of shared responsibility.”
The pope urges people to stop anthropomorphizing LLMs, noting that AI systems “may imitate language, behavior and analytical skills, or even simulate empathy and understanding, but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the affective, relational and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow in wisdom.”
The pope goes on to clarify that AI tools can be useful, time-saving tools, but notes that even their usefulness can be dangerous.
The pope proposes that overreliance on AI risks weakening human resourcefulness and creativity, and that sharing intimate conversations with chatbots can be dangerous and isolating.
Leo warns against handing over decisive power to AI, removing human responsibility and agency.
The encyclical also makes an environmental argument, pointing out that AI is energy-intensive and polluting, urging sustainable technological development in order to protect our planet.
Overall, the pope recommends that AI development should slow down and be guided by community feedback, noting that the development of AI by a handful of billion-dollar corporations is magnifying existing wealth, power and information imbalances.
The pope repeats a point that critics have directed at AI models since the very beginning—that the training data came from the public, without permission.
These models simply would not exist without access to the writings, imagery and media created by humanity—the data wasn’t just taken from artists, writers and filmmakers, but everyday social media users who post content online.
The pope writes: “Data is the product of many contributors and should not be treated as something to be sold off or entrusted to a select few.”
The encyclical might best be summarized by a particularly succinct sentence that reads:
“Development is truly human when it places people at the center instead of the accumulation of wealth.”