This week, Leo XIV will present his first encyclical, titled *Magnifica Humanitas*, in Rome before traveling to Spain. The document, focused on the anthropological challenges posed by artificial intelligence, was outlined during his vacation in Castel Gandolfo and enriched with contributions from experts from episcopal conferences, such as the Pablo VI Foundation in Spain. Four dicasteries of the Roman Curia and three pontifical academies collaborated in its development, and the final text has been personally reviewed by the Pope at the Castelli Romani villa. Since his election, Leo XIV has been transparent about his inspiration from Leo XIII, who faced the challenges of the industrial revolution with the encyclical *Rerum Novarum*, founding the Church's social doctrine. Now, Leo XIV warns that the digital revolution threatens to invert roles: turning the person into a machine and the machine into a person, as anticipated by works like *Modern Times* and *Blade Runner*. Artificial intelligence has been at the center of public debate for nearly a decade, addressed from scientific, ethical, and social perspectives. Pope Francis had already pointed out the importance of AI in the last years of his pontificate, especially after the emergence of generative models. Leo XIV now elevates the issue to a global moral plane, emphasizing the impact of AI on human dignity. With training in theology and mathematics, Leo XIV has intervened multiple times on the subject, highlighting since 2007 the risks of a hyper-connected but spiritually fragmented culture. As the general prior of the Augustinians and later as bishop of Chiclayo, he warned about the replacement of real relationships with virtual ties and the impact of misinformation and algorithms, especially on young people. In educational and ecclesial forums, he argued that technology should serve human encounters, not replace them. As prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he participated in the drafting of key documents and sent messages to pontifical academies warning about algorithmic manipulation and labor automation, insisting on the need to maintain human moral responsibility. His vision: AI is not just a technical innovation but a profound transformation of the human condition. Inspired by St. Augustine, Leo XIV holds that human intelligence is conscious will and the capacity to love, not mere data processing. He warns that the danger is not that machines think, but that humans reduce their existence to what is computable, forgetting that wisdom arises from the conscious search for truth and love, something inaccessible to algorithms. The Pope revisits the Augustinian concept of *tranquillitas ordinis*: AI alters the social order when technology becomes an end and the human being a means. The challenge is to restore an order where technology is guided by values and reason. If AI dictated human behavior, there would be a risk of technological arrogance that would distance society from justice. Leo XIV also warns about the simulation of truth: just as St. Augustine contrasted light and shadows, the Pope sees in AI the risk of a “digital cave” of false realities. In a world saturated with algorithmic answers, he calls to seek certainties within the human spirit, as no data can replace the authenticity of personal experience. Throughout his pontificate, Leo XIV has addressed AI in various interventions: from warning about the “war of words and images” and the need to avoid a digital Tower of Babel, to alerting about the impact of algorithms on childhood, calling for international regulation, denouncing data exploitation and “cyber slavery,” and emphasizing the importance of human authorship and critical thinking. *Magnifica Humanitas* is a personal and central document in his pontificate. The Pope insists that the true challenge is human dignity against technological reductionism, labor automation, and the concentration of power in large corporations. He advocates for an “ecology of truth” in the face of digital saturation and criticizes transhumanism, reclaiming vulnerability and limits as essential parts of human dignity. The encyclical raises fundamental questions: what is human?, what is authentic?, where do truth and freedom reside?, can love be replaced by a programmed response? Leo XIV does not reject technology, but asserts that it must never replace the dignity of the person. The publication of *Magnifica Humanitas* coincides with the anniversary of *Rerum Novarum*, underscoring the continuity of the Church's social reflection. Ultimately, Leo XIV invites a rethinking of what it means to be human in an era dominated by machines that imitate intelligence and emotions. His originality lies in anticipating that the key question of the 21st century is not what machines can do, but what they should do, reminding that humans must not delegate their own humanity to them. As a note, the Pope has not yet addressed the impact of quantum physics on AI, a topic with profound scientific and philosophical implications, which he may address in future documents. Source: lavanguardia.com