Pope Leo XIV sat in a vaulted library at the Vatican this week, his white cassock a stark contrast to the digital screens and expert panels gathered before him. The Pontiff met with experts including Christopher Olah, the co-founder of the American artificial intelligence company Anthropic, to launch a historic encyclical focused on the care of human dignity. This document, the first of its kind, arrives as a direct challenge to a world increasingly governed by algorithms rather than ethics.

“This desire for everyone ‘to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’,” the Pope told the assembly, “must therefore inform not only our decisions and actions, but also the use and direction given to media, digital technology, and artificial intelligence.” He held a small wooden crucifix as he spoke, emphasizing that technology must remain the servant of man, never his master. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication reported that the event aimed to restore a “trust in technology” that is rooted in Christ.

The Pontiff’s message specifically addressed the growing threat of autonomous warfare and the dehumanizing effects of automated decision-making. Per Vatican News, Leo is greatly concerned about the use of these tools in conflict and has called for rigorous monitoring to ensure they are used for the authentic service of humanity. As the Trump administration maintains its freeze on Anthropic’s technology for military use, the Pope’s stance marks a new moral flashpoint between the Church and the secular state.