Pope Leo
According to the report, the upcoming document, titled “The Great Humanity,” will emphasize the need for technology to remain in the service of man, not for man to become its subordinate, with a focus on worker protection, creativity, and ethical decision-making in the age of artificial intelligence.
European and Catholic reports indicate that the Pope will sign the document to coincide with the anniversary of the issuance of the historic “Rerum Novarum” letter in 1891, which dealt with workers’ rights during the Industrial Revolution, in a symbolic indication that the Church sees in artificial intelligence “a new industrial revolution.”
“This is exactly the same fear…that machines will replace human labor. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing now with artificial intelligence,” said Andrew Chestnut, chair of Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
He added: “Pope Leo deals with artificial intelligence not as a technical fad, but as a return to the times of the industrial revolution, when entry-level jobs have already begun to evaporate with the acceleration of automation.”
The late Pope Francis had repeatedly warned of the dangers of turning humans into “mere data points,” and of the growth of surveillance and autonomous wars driven by artificial intelligence.
This trend comes as the Vatican strengthens its efforts in technical oversight and cybersecurity, and Pope Leo recently called on clerics not to use artificial intelligence in writing religious sermons or seeking fame on social media platforms.
Observers believe that the new message may mark the beginning of a more involved phase of the Church in the global debate about the ethics of artificial intelligence and the future of humanitarian work.
