Pope Leo XIV’s newly released encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, urges individuals to approach the AI era with courage and solidarity. The pope’s assertion that ‘Technology is never neutral’ serves as a warning to technologists and policymakers as they navigate the AI-driven landscape.

The encyclical presents a choice between two paths: the Tower of Babel, representing unbridled growth and disconnection, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, symbolizing collaborative resilience and shared responsibility. The latter narrative, found in the Book of Nehemiah, emphasizes the importance of collective effort and rebuilding relationships.

The pope’s message resonates with the movement for socially responsible investment, highlighting that AI is not an uncontrollable force, but rather a commercial product emerging in an era of concentrated power and commerce. This perspective is already being acted upon by institutional investors, who are leading governance efforts to regulate AI deployment.

With governments and corporations often failing to provide adequate oversight, it falls to individuals and society to set a path forward and ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a responsible and beneficial manner. The encyclical serves as a powerful reminder of this duty and the need for collective action to create a human-centered AI future.

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