Pope Leo has issued the first-ever encyclical focused on artificial intelligence, a 245-paragraph document that declares data a common good and rejects the idea that technology is morally neutral. The encyclical was presented alongside Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic — the same company currently suing the Trump administration over the use of AI in military operations.
Data as a common good
The document argues that data, especially the vast datasets used to train AI systems, should be treated as a shared resource rather than private property. It calls for governance that ensures equitable access and prevents a small number of corporations from controlling the digital infrastructure that shapes modern life. The pope frames data as essential to human dignity, much like water or clean air.
Rejecting moral neutrality
A central theme is the rejection of the longstanding notion that technology itself is neither good nor bad — that it's only how people use it that matters. The encyclical states that algorithms embed values from the moment they are designed, and that developers bear responsibility for the social consequences of their creations. It urges technologists to consider ethics from the start, not as an afterthought.
Why Anthropic’s co-founder was there
Christopher Olah’s presence at the Vatican release signals a bridge between the papacy and the AI industry. Olah is a prominent researcher in interpretability — the field that tries to understand how neural networks make decisions. His company, Anthropic, is known for its focus on safe AI development, but it is also embroiled in a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the military's use of AI. That tension — between building safety and seeing AI deployed in conflict — echoes the encyclical's call for ethical guardrails.
What the lawsuit means
Anthropic’s legal action against the Trump administration challenges the use of AI in weapons systems and targeting decisions. The company argues that such applications violate its own safety principles and could lead to unintended escalation. The encyclical does not directly reference the lawsuit, but its timing — released alongside an Anthropic leader — places the Vatican's moral authority behind the same questions the courts are now weighing.
The document stops short of endorsing any specific policy or legal case. Instead, it sets out principles that could be used to evaluate both corporate practices and government programs. Whether those principles will influence the court case, or future regulation, remains an open question.
