Pope Leo XIV has just published his first big letter as head of the Catholic Church, and it’s all about the dangers and opportunities of artificial intelligence — from the apps you scroll to how wars are fought.
You’ve heard grown-ups talk about AI like it’s magic. The Pope’s new encyclical — a super official letter called ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ — says it’s not. Every time you use an AI tool, real people somewhere have done invisible work to make it happen, sometimes in really unfair conditions. The letter even says that human beings get reduced to just ‘data’ and ‘packages’.
The document also warns that AI can be used to manipulate what you see online. Algorithms on platforms aren’t built to show you the truth; they’re built to keep you scrolling. And when it comes to weapons that decide for themselves, the Pope is clear: machines should never be allowed to make life-or-death choices, because that steals human dignity.