Artificial intelligence can write, create images, analyse enormous amounts of information and increasingly perform tasks once associated exclusively with human workers. But as machines become more capable, a deeper question is emerging: what happens to the qualities that make human beings different from the tools they create?
Pope Leo XIV addressed that question directly in his 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas , warning that the rapid development of artificial intelligence must not come at the expense of human dignity. His message is not simply about regulating technology. It is about deciding what should remain uniquely human in a world increasingly shaped by machines.
