On May 15, 2026, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIV signed his first encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.
After my first read of this document, I wanted to get some of my initial thoughts down. These coalesced around five focal areas most closely connected with my work and research.
1. Building a Better City
Pope Leo uses the image of the city to present a way forward with artificial intelligence. In the biblical story of the buiding of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11), “collective effort follows a plan that dominates and ultimately dehumanizes” through control and efficiency (90). Alternatively, the biblical account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 2) is a story about a “project of shared responsibility” for the common good (90). Pope Leo asks us to reflect on the great “construction sites” of our era and consider which projects we are working on, and in what manner. “Technology in never neutral,” the encyclical acknowledges, therefore “the primary choice is not between a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to technology,” but rather between building Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem (9). If we chose the “way of Nehemiah,” working together “to foster a peaceful, just, and dignified life in community within today’s ‘cities,’” we come closer to the vision of New Jerusalem revealed at—and as—the end of the biblical narrative in the book of Revelation (10; Rev 21-22). The quotation marks around “cities” indicate that these cities can be thought of as metaphorical, but the encyclical refers to social structures that include real cities. It states that “we are called to cooperate in the work of creation,” and that “nothing will be lost that is authentically human … every authentically human achievement” will be redeemed (233).
In my book Artificial Intelligence and the Apocalyptic Imagination: Artificial Agency and Human Hope, I write about the meaning of the city and how it can help us think about AI. The city is one of humanity’s greatest technological achievements, and throughout history it has been an image of a technological society. In Revelation, also called the Apocalypse of John, the image of New Jerusalem is presented in opposition to the image of Babylon. The message of the Apocalypse is that the latter evil city, manifested in imperial cities such as Rome in the first century, is doomed and falling; the good city of God is arriving in the other first-century cities named in the Apocalypse and will be established fully as the fulfillment of history. Various types of technologies are included in all the cities of the Apocalypse, and the book includes ethical critiques of technologies, strategies for resisting and reforming technologies, and affirmations that technologies can be part of creating better cities and “making all things new” (Rev 21:5, which is quoted in the last paragraph of the encyclical).
The encyclical reminds us that beneath imperial narratives, from Babel through Babylon, “there is a more hidden but decisive story” of regular people performing everyday works of transformation:
“Their testimony demonstrates that goodness does not advance automatically, but requires the perseverance, memory, and interior conversion necessary to begin anew, even after defeat (125).
“While the tumult of confusion is all around us, goodness grows silently from the earth. In the words of the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?’ (210; Is 43:19).
“A closer analysis of history confirms this …” (211).
The cities addressed in the Apocalypse were transformed by Christians inspired by the hopeful vision of New Jerusalem. This vision can help us imagine how we can integrate AI into our lives and world wisely, as architects of hope who are “committed to building the world for the common good” (236).
2. Our Unique and Urgent Moment in Our History with Technology
As Rerum Novarum did, Magnifica Humanitas engages with the “new things” of our time. Technology has “formed part of our history since the beginning,” but AI is something new (4). The encyclical acknowledges that, “We are living through a rapid phase of transition, a ‘change of era’” (6). There is a “new dimension of our common home”—shaped by and for AI—“an environment in which we are immersed, as well as a force with which we must engage” (110). The encyclical is presented as a resource for navigating an “epochal change” and a new reality (229). This new reality requires new ethical frameworks and institutions for discernment and action, individual as well as collective.
3. An Ethical Framework for Understanding a New Reality
Magnifica Humanitas provides a grammar, definitions, and a framework for informing a human-centered moral imagination about AI. It states: “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” (15). To protect the human person, the encyclical identifies five principles for reflection: “the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity, and social justice” (46).
- The common good provides the conditions for human fulfillment, which now include “patents, algorithms, digital platforms, technological infrastructure, and data” (67).
- The universal destination of goods means “finding ways of ensuring universal access to both technologies and the education needed to use them” (109).
- Subsidiarity refers to the respective rights and responsibilities of individuals and institutions throughout society. This requires that technological decisions “not be imposed from above in an opaque and unilateral manner, but instead be directed toward the common good with transparency, accountability, and meaningful forms of participation” (71).
- Solidarity “is the concrete recognition that the future of each individual is connected to the future of all” (73). It extends to our “digital ecosystem” and “demands that decisions regarding data, algorithms, platforms, and artificial intelligence take into account not only the immediate benefit for a few, but also the impact on all peoples and on future generations” (76).
- Social justice, “which begins with the least among us,” helps us recognize “structures, mechanisms, and economic and cultural systems that produce inequality almost automatically” (78-79). In the digital age, “a just social order guarantees everyone equal access to opportunities, protects the youngest and weakest members of society, combats hate and misinformation, and subjects the use of data and technology to public oversight, so that the guiding principle is not solely profit but the dignity of every person and the common good of all people” (80).
To support shared reflection and action related to these principles, the encyclical calls for shared standards, about “the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home, and peace,” as well as shared practices “such as responsible planning, the assessment of human and social impact, the inclusion of the most vulnerable, the promotion of digital literacy, and guiding research and industry toward justice and peace” (14).
Magnifica Humanitas observes that “our hearts yearn for an approach [to AI] that is wise and benevolent” (230). Drawing from the Catholic Church’s social teaching, this framework provides foundational elements for considering what human flourishing looks like.
4. The Role of Educators and Educational Institutions
Magnifica Humanitas points out that the historical record provides “evidence that humanity is capable of creating institutions that protect our shared life” (123). “Just institutions,” intervening with daily acts of faith, sustain hope and provide “clear direction for technological projects without allowing the heart to regress” (126). (My most recent book, Hope in the Library: How Libraries Can Help Shape Our Future with Artificial Intelligence, argues that libraries can be such places.)
Educational institutions—“where new generations can learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life, and to recognize the dignity of every person”—have a crucial role in safeguarding humanity (143). The encyclical calls on educators and educational institutions to preserve truth as a common good, cultivate reflective attention, provide “time for development and for engagement with reality beyond appearances,” and teach people “to decide when and for what purpose” AI should and should not be used (140). It identifies a number of challenges to address: improving access to education; updating curricula; supporting professional development; promoting an “integral education that addresses every dimension of a person”; preserving “the essential exercise of research, reflection, and discernment”; integrating new information into deeper knowledge; and maintaining a sense of purpose (145, 146).
The encyclical also calls on educational institutions to translate ethical principles into educational goals that are “relevant and effective in addressing the digital revolution, including: “teaching students a sense of moderation and limits; recognition of the rights of others and of future generations to enjoy the goods that are either provided for us or made available by human ingenuity; freedom and responsibility; and a sense of transcendence and the common good” (47, 147).
As the director of a new technology institute at a university, focused on (in the words of Magnifica Humanitas) “integrating the possibilities offered by technology within a framework marked by wisdom” (237), I appreciate the broad framing of what is needed for this transformative moment in higher education:
“Let us invest in education, beginning with ourselves! We all need to learn how to engage with the digital world in a human way … we need adults to rediscover their vocation as artisans of education, prepared to work patiently each day, with the support of extensive and shared educational partnerships. Today, accompanying children and young people in using technology for developing responsible relationships, helping them to recognize the risks and choose what fosters inner freedom, is a concrete form of charity and will safeguard their dignity. Teaching new generations that technological evolution does not follow a predetermined path, but can be guided by personal and collective responsibility, constitutes one of the most valuable services to the common good” (238).
We also need to be preparing people for the future of work, to become builders who can “‘choose with care how to build’” and be ready “to enter the construction sites of history—research laboratories, technology companies, schools, the media, institutions and local communities—in order to rebuild what has collapsed and protect what is threatened … so that, even when a technocratic mentality or partisan interests seem to prevail, the human city may become a more fitting place to live” (229, 1 Cor 3:10; 241).
5. The Transformation of Work
Magnifica Humanitas, like Rerum Novarum, centers the dignity of work and workers. Work is a “the essential key” to understanding our social condition. Through work we “contribute to the progress of society and the common good, put to good use the capabilities we have received, improve and beautify the world, support our families, engage in cooperative relationships and, through listening and dialogue, learn to build together something that no one could achieve alone” (148). Work is not merely instrumental: “it expresses and enhances the dignity of our lives; it is a requirement of the human condition, a normal path toward maturity, development, and personal fulfilment” (149). Nor is work “merely a source of income but a crucial sphere in which identity is formed, friendships and relationships are forged, practical responsibilities are learned, and one’s vocation is discerned” (167). Work is an important part of what it means to be—and become more—human, and it is the means through which we transform nature and create a better world.
While it is not yet clear how AI will change the world of work, AI is already changing jobs, careers, and vocations—automating some tasks, augmenting others, and creating new forms of work. And not all of these changes are good. Workers need to adapt to work with AI, but more importantly AI needs to be adapted to advance work that is meaningful. (My current book project provides a framework for creating meaningful work with AI.)
The encyclical addresses concerns about workplace disruption and unemployment, noting, “The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good” (152). “We need adaptive tools, including well-structured models, local initiatives, progressive redistribution, and new rights of access to essential goods. While not pursuing an abstract harmony, we must build concrete forms of human coexistence at this time of transformation” (153).
AI Wisdom
As its title indicates, the ultimate concern in Magnifica Humanitas in not AI—and its impacts in education, work, and other domains—but rather human dignity: “if technology becomes the ultimate criterion, the human person risks being reduced to data, a cog in a machine, or a commodity. If, however, technology is integrated with a wise perspective, it can become an instrument of growth, justice, and fraternity” (180). This is a shared responsibility, to be guided with foresight “by institutions capable of regulating without stifling, and protecting without taking over; by businesses that recognize work and dignity as measures of success; by intermediary organizations and educational communities that rebuild trust and relationships; and by citizens who cultivate responsibility, moderation, discernment, and a sense of truth” (181).
Magnifica Humanitas is call for all of us to become architects of hope, capable of cultivating AI wisdom—using AI wisely to become wiser for the benefit of the common good.