Pope Leo XIV’s first major statement on artificial intelligence is expected to arrive with an unusual guest beside him: Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah.
According to Vatican statements, the pope is scheduled to present Magnifica Humanitas on May 25, an encyclical focused on “the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.” The event would mark an unusual public rollout for a papal document and signal how quickly AI has become a central moral issue for the Church.
The pairing also gives the announcement a sharper edge. Olah’s work on AI interpretability lies at the technical heart of today’s safety debate, while the Vatican frames AI as a question of human dignity, labor, war, and moral responsibility.
Christopher Olah’s unexpected role
Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic and a leading figure in AI interpretability research, will take part in the event alongside the pope and senior Vatican officials.
Olah is known for his work on understanding how advanced AI systems operate internally, a field seen as central to AI safety discussions. His participation is expected to bring a technical perspective to a debate the Vatican is increasingly treating as a moral and societal issue.
Anthropic, the AI company he co-founded, has also been publicly involved in policy disputes in the US over how AI systems should be used in military and surveillance contexts.
Alongside Pope Leo and Olah, several senior Vatican figures are scheduled to speak at the event. Other theologians and academic experts are also expected to contribute to the presentation, reflecting what Vatican officials describe as a broad effort to bring ethical, technical, and theological perspectives into the discussion around AI.
Pope Leo’s growing focus on artificial intelligence
Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pontiff, has made artificial intelligence one of the central themes of his early papacy.
He has repeatedly warned about the risks of AI in warfare and its impact on human dignity and labor. In previous remarks, he stressed that the technology “cannot replace human intelligence” and should not be allowed to override moral responsibility or workers’ rights. The encyclical is expected to extend those themes, addressing how rapid technological change is reshaping work, ethics, and society.
A Vatican push into AI ethics
The encyclical launch also comes as the Vatican increases its formal engagement with artificial intelligence, including the creation of an internal commission to coordinate AI policy across Church institutions.
That body is tasked with studying AI’s impact on human beings and shaping internal guidelines for its use within the Holy See.
Also read: Eric Schmidt’s AI remarks drew criticism at the University of Arizona as graduates pushed back on his optimism about AI and job fears.