AI Influence Spreads to the Vatican: Pope Leo XIV to Meet Anthropic Co-Founder 

Pope Leo XIV will release his first papal encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” on May 25. Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah will share the stage with the Vatican.

The document focuses on protecting human dignity as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes labor and society. It marks the most direct engagement between a sitting pope and a frontier AI lab to date.

A Signed Letter and a New Commission

Pope Leo XIV signed the encyclical on May 15. The date marked the 135-year anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, the 1891 document on capital and labor. “Magnifica Humanitas” translates to “magnificent humanity.”

The pope has repeatedly cited that lineage, casting AI as the defining industrial shift of his pontificate. The full subtitle reads “On the Protection of Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

On May 16, the Catholic leader approved a new Vatican commission on AI ethics, which will draw representatives from seven dicasteries. Cardinal Michael Czerny said the body would address AI challenges inside the Holy See and for the wider Church.

Anthropic Co-founder Olah Joins the Vatican Lineup

Christopher Olah, who co-founded Anthropic and leads its interpretability research, will speak as a lay presenter. His team focuses on understanding how large language models like Claude reach their decisions internally.

Pope Leo XIV will address the gathering and offer a final blessing, breaking with Vatican precedent for the launch of encyclicals.

The pope, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American to hold the office. He has flagged AI as a defining challenge of his papacy in earlier speeches in Rome.

The presentation places a leading AI safety researcher at the center of one of the year’s most-watched moral debates. For Anthropic, it ties Olah’s work to a global conversation about AI regulation that now includes the Catholic Church.

The event also raises fresh questions about public reliance on AI tools like Claude.

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