Pope Leo XIV compares AI to the Industrial Revolution – as new alternatives to big AI firms take shape

Leo XIV released his first encyclical on the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, the 1891 papal document on the upheavals of the Industrial Revolution.

By: Nathan Schneider, University of Colorado Boulder, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 26, 2026

Words: 1,388

Last Updated: 2 months ago

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By Nathan Schneider, University of Colorado Boulder

With the release of his encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas on May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV has signaled that he wants the church to respond to artificial intelligence much as a predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, responded to upheavals during the Industrial Revolution over a century ago.

Since the first act of his papacy – choosing his name – the current pope has repeatedly invoked the earlier Leo’s …

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