Pope Leo has issued a warning that the artificial intelligence revolution is being driven by an "idolatry of profit," cautioning that the rapid development of AI technology risks prioritising financial gain over human dignity and ethical considerations. He called for greater regulation and moral oversight to ensure AI serves the common good rather than corporate or economic interests.
Simon Willison's notes on Pope Leo XIV's encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" on AI, which addresses ethical challenges around interpretability, cultural biases, environmental impact, algorithmic decision-making, accountability, and data ownership. Willison also highlights his earlier prediction that the Pope would weigh in on AI's economic impact, which came true with the document's release.
Corey Quinn commented that getting the Pope to frame a company's technical limitations as a spiritual treatise is an unprecedented act of vendor lobbying, referencing Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah's influence on the papal encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas*.