Pope Leo XIV unveiled his encyclical 'Magnificent Humanity' with a stark warning about artificial intelligence concentration in few corporate hands. The pontiff argued that opaque algorithms controlled by major tech companies risk creating 'new forms of dehumanization,' particularly after AI was deployed during the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.

The Vatican document emphasizes that technology reflects its creators' values, rejecting the notion that AI is inherently evil. Instead, it calls for robust legal frameworks and independent oversight to prevent corporate dominance. Pope Leo specifically highlighted the need for political systems to resist the 'idolatry of profit' driving unchecked AI deployment.

Unusual for a papal encyclical, Anthropic founder Christopher Olah attended the presentation. This follows the AI company's outreach to religious communities and CEO Dario Amodei's refusal to grant the Pentagon unrestricted AI access. The encyclical frames AI governance as a moral choice between building unity or repeating the Tower of Babel's hubris.

The document's five-chapter structure offers practical guidance for policymakers, urging active government involvement to slow accelerating technological change. Rather than banning AI, it demands transparency and accountability from those who control these systems.