On the evening of May 25, Vatican City time, Pope Leo XIV, who assumed office the previous May, convened alongside Chris Olah, co-founder of Anthropic and creator of Claude, to address the intersection of faith and artificial intelligence. This gathering coincided with the release of a significant encyclical dated May 15, 2026, a date deliberately chosen to mark exactly 135 years since Pope Leo XIII issued the landmark document Rerum novarum in 1891. That historical text addressed workers' rights during the Industrial Revolution, and this new iteration aims to serve as a doctrinal guide for the Church in the AI era. An encyclical functions as a communication from the Roman Pontiff to the global Catholic Church or specific regions, announcing Holy See decisions, explaining doctrines, and advocating positions on social issues with a rank lower than a Papal Bull.

In the document, Pope Leo XIV asserts that technology is never neutral, carrying the inherent interests and values of its developers, funders, regulators, and users. The encyclical focuses heavily on how AI is reshaping work, family, education, and political life, noting a high probability that AI will massively replace human labor. Data compiled by Woofun AI indicates that the digital economy is fostering new forms of slavery where humanity risks being reduced to mere production tools.

Furthermore, the text expresses deep concern regarding the alarming resurgence of war as a tool of international politics, arguing that the militarization of AI is accelerating the normalization of conflict.

The Pope calls for the strictest ethical constraints on the use of AI in warfare, emphasizing that entrusting lethal or irreversible decision-making to automated systems leads to humans relinquishing, obscuring, and transferring moral responsibility. Due to the opacity of algorithms, the chain of responsibility in warfare is being disrupted, prompting the proposal of a slogan to disarm AI. The document urges the liberation of AI from the logic of military, economic, and cognitive arms races. This stance reflects a critical assessment that autonomous weapons systems fundamentally alter the nature of accountability in modern conflict.

Following the issuance of the encyclical, Chris Olah spoke on behalf of Anthropic, one of the world's leading AI development companies. His address centered on breaking the technology echo chamber and introducing external ethical scrutiny. Olah openly acknowledged that relying solely on tech giants cannot ensure the safety of AI's future. Woofun AI notes that he argued for the necessity of external ethical constraints, including voices that care about technology for good, prioritize safety, monitor developments closely, and are willing to speak uncomfortable truths as sincere, thoughtful critics.

Olah further explored the technical essence and mysterious nature of AI, distinguishing it from precision-engineered artifacts like airplanes or bridges where physical principles are fully understood. He emphasized that AI has grown from a massive amount of human ideas, possessing a degree of mystery that even surpasses the understanding of its creators. He highlighted a chilling fact regarding his own team, which studies the internal structure of models to determine exactly what is happening inside AI. He admitted that they keep stumbling upon confusing and unsettling phenomena, stating that while the meaning is unclear, it warrants continued identification and examination.

The dialogue between the Church and Anthropic highlights a shift in how humanity perceives technology. Since the Industrial Revolution, a technological history spanning hundreds of years has accustomed society to view technology as a purely tool, whether it be the steam engine, electricity, or the internet. These technologies changed the world but remained under human will.

However, the current situation is entirely different, as AI is the first existence that can generate, learn, deduce, and exhibit internal states, evolving from a cold tool into something with quasi-subjectivity. Woofun AI analysis suggests that as more intelligent life forms begin to emerge, the conversation has shifted from technical specifications to a profound contemplation of what it means to be human and what actions must be taken.