When Pope Leo XIV chose to publish his first social encyclical on the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, he made a deliberate statement. Just as Pope Leo XIII confronted the social upheavals of the Industrial Revolution in 1891, Pope Leo XIV now invites the Church and the world to face another revolution—driven by artificial intelligence. His message is clear: the greatest challenge is not technological progress itself, but whether humanity will continue to place the human person at its centre.
Artificial intelligence promises unprecedented advances in medicine, education, communication and scientific discovery. Yet the pope refuses to reduce the debate to whether AI is good or bad. Instead, he asks a deeper question: What kind of society are we allowing to grow?
Drawing from scripture, the encyclical contrasts the Tower of Babel with the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. Babel represents a civilisation driven by pride, uniformity and the pursuit of power without God. Jerusalem, rebuilt through shared responsibility and trust, symbolises a community where diversity, solidarity and human relationships flourish. The choice facing humanity is therefore not between embracing or rejecting technology, but between allowing technology to serve domination or the common good.
The pope warns that technological power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few private corporations that control data, algorithms and digital infrastructure. Such power, left without ethical guidance and democratic accountability, risks reducing people to profiles, consumers or sources of information rather than recognising them as children of God endowed with dignity.
Perhaps the encyclical’s most important contribution is its articulation of understanding humanity. The danger is not that machines will become human, but that humans may begin to treat one another like machines. When efficiency becomes the supreme value, compassion, patience and genuine relationships are easily sacrificed.
Pope Leo is equally concerned by ideologies that seek to redefine or surpass humanity itself. The dream of creating a “better” human through technology may appear attractive, but it risks creating a society where the elderly, the disabled, the poor and the vulnerable are regarded as less valuable. The gospel proclaims the opposite: human dignity does not depend on productivity, intelligence or physical perfection but on being created in the image of God.
The encyclical also offers practical guidance. It calls for protection of workers displaced by automation, equitable access to education, responsible journalism and safeguards for children in the digital world. It reminds us that AI is not immaterial; it consumes enormous energy and resources while relying on hidden labour and exploitative supply chains that often remain invisible.
Perhaps the most prophetic question posed by Pope Leo is also the simplest: when an algorithm decides who receives a job, a loan or an opportunity, who bears responsibility? Technology cannot replace conscience. The Church has always defended the dignity of labour, the rights of the vulnerable and the primacy of the human person.
In our own age, Pope Leo offers a new Rerum Novarum, calling all people of goodwill to ensure that innovation is guided not merely by intelligence, but by wisdom, justice and love. –jose, CMF
