Leo XIV on AI
Photo by Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar , licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0
Leo XIV has been pope for about a week now. Cardinal Robert Prevost was an unexpected choice. He appears to have been something of a compromise candidate to satisfy both the more conservative and more liberal cardinals—he seems to be liked by both. What is he like? How EA is he? I wrote about the views of Pope Francis on AI recently, so I’m naturally interested in Pope Leo’s thoughts on the subject. Surprisingly, we already have pretty good indications about them.
Based on his first address as the pope, Leo XIV appears to take AI as seriously as his predecessor. When talking about why he chose the name Leo XIV, he said:
I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.
Chilean Cardinal Fernando Chomalí, who discussed the pope’s choice of name with him over dinner after the conclave, gave some additional information:
He told me he is very concerned about the cultural shifts we are living through, a Copernican revolution really -- artificial intelligence, robotics, human relationships … The new pope believes the church has a vital role to play in today's moment of "perplexity" … There is a revolution happening, and it must be addressed seriously. The church can contribute through its moral authority and also its academic strength.
The pope speaks of AI and related fields like robotics as bringing a change on par with industrialisation. The words “Copernican revolution” in the quote by Cardinal Chomalí tell a similar story. Pope Francis similarly used terms like “cognitive-industrial revolution” and “epochal changes”.
Pope Leo’s mention of “dignity, justice and labour” reflects what he sees as prominent issues with AI. Like Francis, he doesn’t seem to be an AI doomer who expects existential risks from advanced AI. But given the industrial/Copernican revolution rhetoric, he might be expecting far-reaching changes and risks nevertheless. From an AI safetyist perspective, one can perhaps hope that Pope Leo has something to say about race dynamics in AI development and the responsibility of AI companies. Francis notably called for binding international regulation on AI development.
The encyclical Rerum Novarum, which the new pope mentioned, was released in 1891. It addressed the condition of the working classes during the Industrial Revolution and the relationship between capital and labour. The encyclical is considered a foundational text of modern Catholic social teaching and was groundbreaking in its approach to the struggles of the working class and societal challenges of the time. It seems likely that similar work related to AI that was started during the papacy of Francis will continue under Leo’s pontificate. Perhaps he will issue an encyclical specifically addressing the topic. This is speculation on my part, but issues like social media, polarisation, and other problems fueled by digital media might also be addressed. (I can see the headlines: “Pope bans TikTok!”)
His reference to “human relationships” is interesting. The effects of AI on relationships have been discussed in Catholic commentary on AI, especially the doctrinal note Antiqua et nova (the most extensive official Catholic document on AI so far, references Pope Francis often). The Catholic book Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations has the best (well, pretty much only) in-depth Christian discussion on the effects of AI on the family that I have seen (pages 159–170). The book also has a chapter dedicated to Catholic social teaching and AI.
This post is mostly about AI, but it’s hard to discuss the new American pope without reference to the current political situation of the US. In migration issues, Leo XIV takes a stance similar to Francis. Then-Cardinal Prevost shared two articles criticising JD Vance’s use of the ordo amoris concept in defence of the policies of the Trump government on X/Twitter. Predictions market Manifold predicts a 75% chance that the pope will openly criticise President Trump in 2025.
As for some other EA causes besides AI, climate change is another cause that the Catholic church has championed. Leo XIV will probably continue along similar lines to Pope Francis on this topic. Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si addressed climate change extensively. In 2015, then-Cardinal Prevost called on his X/Twitter followers to sign a climate petition organised by the Global Catholic Climate Movement (later Laudato Si Movement). About environmentalism more generally, Newsweek writes: “Speaking in 2024 as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he warned against a ‘tyrannical’ dominion over nature and called for a ‘relationship of reciprocity’ with the Earth.” ‘It is time to move from words to action,’ he said about the ‘environmental crisis,’ emphasizing stewardship and sustainable living in a November 2024 address.”
I’m not an expert, but it appears unclear whether Leo XIV is liberal, conservative, or neither. (These terms have a different meaning in the Catholic context than politics.) Prediction markets have interesting takes here. Manifold predicts a 23% chance that he will be considered conservative by a majority of reputable international news outlets and Catholic Church analysts. Another market on whether the new pope will be someone considered a liberal has already resolved as “no”.
Generally, it’s too early to say what the papacy of Leo XIV will be like, but I believe he is right in expecting big technological changes and social effects from them. With all the uncertainty regarding the new pope’s position on various issues, it is remarkable that he chose to highlight AI so early.
