When Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical late last week, many observers rushed to interpret it as a simple document on the regulation of artificial intelligence. In reality, as a close reading of the text and a recent analysis by TechCrunch reveals, the pontiff used AI as a lens to diagnose much older and more entrenched problems: the concentration of power, the erosion of democracy, and the rise of a tech elite that shapes the world to its own advantage. This approach shifts the debate from machine ethics to human responsibility.
The encyclical's hidden diagnosis
The papal document, officially titled 'On Care for Our Common Home in the Digital Age,' does not merely list the risks of automation or algorithmic bias. Instead, Pope Leo XIV calls for looking beyond the technological surface to recognize how power is concentrating in the hands of a few corporations and how this is undermining the foundations of participatory democracy. Artificial intelligence thus becomes the symptom of a deeper disease: a system in which technology does not serve humanity but enslaves it. As we have already explored in our dedicated article on the encyclical, the message is clear: this is not only about rules for algorithms but about a radical rethinking of our social contract.
The technological and political context
The encyclical arrives at a historical moment when big tech companies are competing for dominance in generative AI and quantum computing infrastructure. Not coincidentally, the debate over power concentration echoes the legal challenges emerging in the quantum computing sector, as discussed in our recent report on the US quantum computing bet. Pope Leo seems to suggest that the real battle is not technical but political: whoever controls the digital infrastructure controls society. The encyclical fits into a line of thought that sees technology as a vehicle for power and calls for a new balance between innovation and social justice.
Implications for the future of tech governance
If taken seriously, the pontiff's analysis could influence regulatory policies in the coming years. The call for non-concentrated power is a direct appeal to governments and international institutions to intervene with stricter antitrust regulations and democratic oversight mechanisms for emerging technologies. Through this encyclical, the Catholic Church offers not only a spiritual reflection but a concrete political agenda. To explore the parallel between ethics and innovation, consult the Wikipedia page on artificial intelligence ethics, which provides an overview of major schools of thought. Additionally, refer to our article on Pope Leo's Encyclical on AI: A Call for Technology to Serve Humanity, Not Concentrate Power for the English version of our analysis.
Beyond the hype: a necessary reading
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical represents a unique contribution to the AI debate because it avoids the trap of focusing exclusively on technical aspects. Instead, it proposes an anthropological reflection that places human dignity and the common good at the center. For tech professionals, this document should be read not as an attack on innovation but as an invitation to develop technologies that enhance democracy rather than erode it. The challenge for the future will be to translate these insights into concrete practices of design, governance, and regulation. Only then can AI truly become a tool for collective emancipation and not a new form of servitude.
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