Pope Leo XIV: Humanity Must Never be Replaced
What the first encyclical of the AI age says about technology, suffering and the future of humanity.
In the age of artificial intelligence, machines can now organize vast amounts of information and hold conversations that feel remarkably human. Many wonder where this will lead. While much good has and will come from AI, Pope Leo XIV posed this question to the world last week: Are we building The Tower of Babel or rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem?
By taking the name Leo, it was clear Pope Leo XIV would be following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII who, on May 15, 1891, released his encyclical, Rerum Novarum (“New Things”) in relation to the breathtaking speed of massive societal shifts from the Industrial Revolution. Rerum Novarum became the “Social Doctrine of the church.”
So on May 15, 2026, Pope Leo XIV published Magnifica Humanitas (“Human Condition”) with the subtitle: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. The public release of the document on May 25, 2026 reveals a 42,000 word letter to the world about what it means to be human and how technology, if not used for the common good, can lead us further away from one another.
AI Is Not the Enemy
What the Pope wasn’t saying, was to stop developing AI. The benefits of technology, including AI, are far reaching and will continue. No one is suggesting that it can or should be stopped. But there are concerns, even by the AI companies themselves (Anthropic’s cofounder contributed and was present at the public release event), who grapple with what is called AI alignment. This is the attempt of AI companies to ensure the foundations of the AI are aligned with the foundational beliefs of the AI company itself. The fear is that the AI will become misaligned, its algorithm go rogue and harm or even destroy humanity.
But the alignment the Pope is alluding to in Magnifica Humanitas is not the AI aligning with a company but rather, aligning humanity’s use of AI with God. Our technologies and advances must bear fruit, the Pope said.
The fruits of technology depends on how and why we use it.
The Tower of Babel vs Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem
Pope Leo said (paragraph 7) that the Tower of Babel was ill conceived because it was done without reference to God. Humans were looking for uniformity instead of communion among one another and God. It was the self they looked to elevate by showcasing individual greatness and achievements. In such a self indulged state is when we stop looking at one another, can no longer communicate with each other and are lost and alone.
It seems to me that we have been building the Tower of Babel for at least two decades. Even with the ability to speak instantly with someone anywhere on the planet, many of us struggle to truly communicate with one another. We are in effect, strangers to one another because there is little perceived benefit from knowing one another.
What Pope Leo is pointing out is that the Tower of Babel ends up isolating us from one another. As does engaging with an AI chatbot for emotional support. Its algorithms are meant to be supportive, but it should never replace human relationships. The Pope said (paragraph 128), technology does not save humanity, rather:
what saves humanity is not enhanced self-sufficiency, but a relationship that liberates, a communion that transforms. In this light, a technology that merely classifies and optimizes what already exists can, however unintentionally, become an obstacle to change and growth. For an algorithm, an error is a flaw to be corrected; for a person, however, an error can be a catalyst for profound change. A person’s future is not calculable, but depends on one’s freedom — elevated by the inexhaustible grace of God — and on the relationships cultivated.
The way to nurture relationships is exemplified by the Pope’s telling of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Here, Nehemiah returned to repair Jerusalem. He engaged with families to hear their concerns and assigned each a portion of the wall to rebuild. All parts of society were involved in the process. A common language—one of mutual purpose and understanding—brought them together and they agreed their strength comes from the Lord.
The choice is not between a “yes” or “no” to technology, it is in aligning humanity properly by choosing between Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem.
Experiencing Suffering Allows Love to Take Hold
Pope Leo is not saying to stop technological advances. Rather, he is saying that we must not allow such advances to overtake our humanity. There are efforts underway to entirely eliminate human suffering through transhumanism by hacking our bodies to live longer and better. Whereas posthumanism looks to take humanity to some evolutionary stage bringing new abilities.
But eliminating suffering, the Pope said (paragraph 120) would extinguish love. Trial and suffering and all its learnings allows our soul to yearn for God. “To renounce this adventure,” he said, “both tragic and splendid, in the name of a presumed transcendence of all limits, could mean many things, but it would no longer be human.”
He continues in paragraph 122:
Finitude, when truly accepted, does not diminish us but opens us to recognizing the face of God and others. Indeed, precisely because we experience limits — vulnerability, suffering and failure — we can recognize the inviolable dignity of every person, both our own and that of others.
Bearing the Fruits of AI
Ultimately, with technology, and specifically with AI, Pope Leo said, “the key question remains the one posed by Saint John Paul II: does AI ‘make human life on earth “more human” in every aspect of that life? Does it make it more worthy of man?’”
In referencing Saint Augustine, he notes, the struggle of man has been and will always be between two loves: that of God and neighbor and that of self.
Every new technology forces a choice. Are we constructing the Tower of Babel or rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem? The answer will determine not only what AI becomes, but what humanity becomes.
Peace.
P.S. The New Earth series continues next week. Catch up on the entire series here.