Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas , has been received within the Jesuit community as a call to discern the impact of artificial intelligence and new technologies from the perspective of human dignity, the common good, and the Church's Social Doctrine. The text, which focuses on safeguarding the human person in the context of technological transformations, particularly challenges those working in education, research, ethics, theology, and social thought.

From the academic world, the UNIJES group working on artificial intelligence has praised the encyclical as a particularly relevant contribution for Jesuit universities that approach AI from a humanist perspective. Their interpretation highlights that the text shifts the debate from mere technological innovation to a fundamental question: what kind of society are we building through artificial intelligence? According to this group, the text “doesn't offer definitive technical solutions, but rather a clear moral and political framework: AI must be at the service of a more just, democratic, and humane society.”

Xavier Casanovas, a member of this group and professor of Ethics and Christian Thought at IQS, considers it a “courageous encyclical” and appreciates the Pope’s clarity in stating that algorithms have no morality. He points out that “his reflection is always grounded in the tradition of the Church’s social doctrine.”

One of the key points of the encyclical is the assertion that technology is not neutral, because it takes on the character of those who conceive, finance, regulate, and use it. The Pope's concern about the concentration of technological power, which makes it more difficult to govern and direct toward the common good, is one of the central issues of the text. “The real challenge lies not in developing more advanced systems, but in discerning what model of collective coexistence and what conception of the person we are promoting through them,” affirms the UNIJES AI working group.

“To remain deeply human”

Another important element in reading the encyclical is its connection to the tradition of Rerum Novarum and a perspective that aligns with a central concern expressed by UNIJES: preventing these transformations from amplifying existing inequalities or eroding fundamental human capabilities. “The encyclical warns that growing inequalities are fertile ground for social fragmentation and violence, and emphasizes that law and the common good must prevail over economic or geopolitical interests,” they note. 

Faced with these risks, UNIJES highlights a statement with strong humanistic undertones: in the age of artificial intelligence, the main challenge is “to remain profoundly human.” For UNIJES, this statement is a “call to preserve what no machine can replace: dignity, moral conscience, compassion, the capacity for connection, and the transcendent meaning of human life.”

The encyclical does not aim to provide answers, but rather to "initiate a shared discernment"

The text has also been read with interest by Cristianisme i Justícia, the Jesuit center for reflection on faith, culture, and justice. Manu Andueza, head of the theological department, emphasizes that Leo XIV situates the issue in light of the Gospel and the Social Doctrine of the Church to offer a response that dignifies humanity. “The Pope seeks out new issues, those realities that are shaping the course of our world. And it is here that he places a personal concern: the question of technology and digitalization.”

For this educator and theologian, “the encyclical does not aim to provide answers, but rather to initiate a shared discernment,” while also highlighting the Pope’s recognition of the autonomy of earthly realities and the distinction between the ecclesial and political communities. The head of the theological department at CJ emphasizes, above all, the call to overcome the “idolatry of profit” and to situate this necessary discernment within the framework of the common good, the principle of subsidiarity, solidarity, and social justice, precisely in line with the principles of the Church’s Social Doctrine.

In an article that can be read on the Cristianisme i Justícia blog , he points out that the entire text stems from the anthropological concern that Leo XIV had already expressed on various occasions, and places the human being before the social reality he lives, in order to respond to current needs through care in these times of transformation.

Manu Andueza believes that the text and its proposal require us to take time and avoid quick answers. This theologian celebrates that Magnifica Humanitas concludes with a plea for freedom linked to the formation of conscience. “Only from this freedom will we overcome slavery, new forms of colonialism, and understand the need to feel responsible for our brothers and sisters in building the common good.”