CPope Leo XIV has issued his first encyclical; it is titled “Magnifica Humanitas,” and it is a proclamation about the rights of man as they apply to artificial intelligence. In doing so, Pope Leo is following in the footsteps of a namesake Pope Leo XIII, who authored “Rarem Novarum.” Penned in 1891, it advocated for the dignity of labor and the rights of working people. In the time of Leo XIII, the Industrial Age was in full force, and workers were viewed as commodities rather than as human beings.
AI, in its basic form, is used for automation and improving efficiency. Agentic AI, by integrating decision-making, builds on this. Already, it is used in design, law, science, and medicine, displacing highly trained and talented women and men who have devoted their lives to study and practice. What does the future hold for them?
The Pope’s call to action
Pope Leo XIV writes that “technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity.” Yet, “the pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs… A society that guarantees employment to only a small fraction of the population, despite having a high level of technical development, risks exposing many to forced inactivity.”
Showing that he is cognizant and respectful of those who develop technology, Pope Leo released his encyclical alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, a major AI developer.
The challenge for governments, businesses and organizations is to use AI for the good. Its malign purpose is already here. As summarized in the New York Times, the encyclical suggests the following steps:
- Ask governments to regulate private companies involved in AI development.
- Provide workers displaced by AI with “protection and retraining”;
- Educate students to “think critically about technology”; and
- Protect children from “violent, hypersexualized or fake information… generated by AI.”
Pope Leo also urges countries to instill “safeguards to ensure that humans, not artificial intelligence, remain responsible for all decisions regarding the use of weapons.” Failure to do so threatens human life and civilization itself.
What leaders can do
For leaders the question arises how can you use AI to improve your organization while integrating solutions that reinforce social capital? This is the question of our times. There are no easy answers, but leaders can assert themselves by communicating what AI can do and what its impact on the organization will be.
Sometimes AI will displace employees so what can organizations to provide not merely a soft landing but, as the Pope advised, offer retraining so they can continue to learn and grow their skills and find new opportunities. Additionally leaders can use their platforms to focus on what humans do bring to their work – creativity, commitment and community.
Just as Leo XIII put the dignity of labor in the late 19th century, Leo XIV is affirming human dignity in the face of civilization-altering technology in the 21st century.
Special thanks to Mahesh Thakur and Scott Eblin for their thoughts on the AI challenges leaders face.