Pope Leo Warns AI Could Become a Modern “Tower of Babel” in First Encyclical

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning about artificial intelligence, saying the technology could be pushed in directions that resemble a modern “Tower of Babel,” a biblical symbol of human ambition, confusion and separation from God. In his first encyclical, the pope argued that AI, mass automation and rapid technological change must serve humanity rather than dominate it.[1][3]

The encyclical, titled Magnifica Humanitas, frames the rise of AI as both a technological milestone and a moral test. According to Vatican reporting, Leo said AI must be directed toward the common good and not used in ways that weaken human dignity, interior freedom or social trust.[3]

The pope’s warning places him among a growing number of religious and civic leaders urging caution as AI systems become more powerful and more deeply embedded in daily life. His message was not a rejection of technology itself, but a call to ensure that innovation remains subordinate to ethical limits and human values.[1][3]

In the encyclical, Leo drew a direct link between unchecked technological ambition and forms of control that can erode freedom. Vatican News reported that he highlighted the danger of “social control” through mass data collection and algorithmic systems, suggesting that AI could be used to monitor, influence or constrain people at scale.[3]

The pope’s language also echoed a broader theme of spiritual resistance to what he described as a culture of domination. In remarks cited by Catholic reporting, Leo said artificial intelligence “needs to be disarmed,” and must be freed from logics that turn it into “an instrument of domination, exclusion, and death.”[1][2]

That framing gives the encyclical a distinctly moral and theological tone. The biblical Tower of Babel story describes humanity attempting to build a structure reaching heaven, only to be scattered when language is confused; by invoking that image, Leo suggested that modern systems built without humility or restraint can produce fragmentation rather than progress.[1][3]

The message arrives at a moment when governments, tech companies and regulators are debating how to govern AI’s rapid expansion. The pope’s intervention adds to a wider public conversation about whether the technology is advancing faster than society’s ability to control its consequences, especially in areas such as labor displacement, surveillance, misinformation and decision-making power.[2][3]

For the Vatican, the encyclical underscores a central theme of Leo’s early papacy: technology should be evaluated not only by what it can do, but by what it does to the human person. That includes concerns about whether AI can preserve dignity, protect conscience and support the dignity of work in an increasingly automated economy.[1][3]

Leo’s warning also reflects a long-standing Catholic concern that powerful tools can become morally dangerous when detached from responsibility. In that sense, the pope’s comparison of AI to Babel is less a prediction of catastrophe than a caution against pride, secrecy and the belief that technical capability alone can solve human problems.[1][3]

The encyclical is likely to shape future Vatican commentary on AI and may influence how Catholic leaders around the world discuss the technology in schools, workplaces and policymaking forums. It also signals that the church intends to remain an active voice in the global debate over how advanced machine systems should be developed and used.[2][3]