Opening Remarks “Magnifica Humanitas”: Integral Human Development and the Value of Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset, allow me to thank the organizers for arranging this timely event on the first Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, “Magnifica Humanitas”, and to all of you for taking part in this reflection. Much has been said and written about this Encyclical. This speaks volume to the importance of this landmark document, both within and outside the Catholic community. Many people I have met asked me about “this new Encyclical on AI”. Headlines of major newspapers spoke of a document on “disarming AI”. One even wondered if “Pope Leo can save us from AI”.

Indeed artificial intelligence is central in the text. But before even it says a single word about AI, the Encyclical first fixes our gaze on the human person: it is “Magnifica Humanitas”, “magnificent humanity”, not “magnificent machine.” This is clear from the outset of the Encyclical Letter: “in the era of AI, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity.”[1]

Yet, it is true that our world is today experiencing a profound technological transformation, which is affecting almost all human activities. This can be seen in the “impersonalization” of war, where decisions over life and death can be delegated to algorhitms. It can be seen too in digital platforms, which can contribute in shaping a biased reality. So, the question is: what to do with this technology? We are facing, as humanity, a choice about the path we want to walk down. This is even more challenging as humanity has never had so much power over itself.

As I invite you to read “Magnifica Humanitas” in its entirety, if you have not done so yet, allow me to highlight a few key insights of this document.

Firstly, it reaffirms the inherent, God-given dignity of each human being. Quoting a passage of the text, the Pope clearly formulates a well-grounded principle of the doctrine of the Church: “human rights are not an external addition to the person, but an expression of intrinsic human dignity, which the international community is called to protect and promote.”[2] But dignity is also the measure against which every technological advance must be assessed.

From this, a second insight is that technology is not neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it.[3] AI can help achieving sustainable development, protecting human rights, and advancing peaceful societies. Yet, it can also exacerbate divides, eroding freedoms, and fuelling conflicts. We have a responsibility to make these machines more “human”, rather than us becoming more like machines.

Thirdly, this responsibility must be shared. Decisions that shape everyday life must not be imposed from above by a few powerful actors, but directed toward the good of all, with transparency and genuine participation. As the Encyclical puts it, “we cannot allow a handful of actors to dictate these processes on their own; instead, we must build forms of cooperation that respect the various levels of the global community and make them jointly responsible for the common good.”[4]

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

It is no secret that international organizations are experiencing numerous challenges. Besides monetary problems, there are deeper issues that the multilateral system must face: a culture of power that normalizes war, the replacement of the rule of law with law of the strongest, the predominance of competition over cooperation, the erosion of trust. And the list can go on.

So what we need is to work together to shape a common future, grounded in the inherent dignity of the person and directed at his integral development. In this, technology will play a role. But what type of future is that?

The Encyclical presents us with two images. There is the Tower of Babel and there is the rebuilding of Jerusalem. We can decide to build a self-serving society, grandiose but founded on pride and self-reliance. Or we can decide to gather together, as a community, to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem; a civilization in which technology serves the human person and protects his inherent dignity. This calls for what Pope Leo XIV names a “healthy realism”, one that is neither an idealism which reshapes facts to fit a comforting narrative, nor a cynicism that treats domination as inevitable . The choice, hence, it is not a “yes” or “no” to technology. It is whether we will build a Babel of competition and exclusion or rebuild a Jerusalem as a common home worthy of the human person.

This is not an abstract choice. It shapes, very concretely, the work of multilateral organizations. We can think of human rights, for example. When algorithms are designed in an opaque manner and take decisions that are not disclosed, when surveillance grows invasive, when persons are reduced to data points, human rights are de facto eroded. It is, so to speak, the logic of Babel: the person is sacrificed on the altar of efficiency and profit.

But the same technology can also serve another logic. When digital systems are designed with transparency and accountability, when AI augments rather than diminishes human agency, when innovation expands access to basic services, technology can become an instrument of human flourishing. This is the logic of Jerusalem: the patient rebuilding of a common home in which each person can participate, contribute and develop his or her capacities.

Allow me to conclude with an appeal. Technology will definitely shape our future. But it should not decide what kind of future it is. That choice remains ours. The landscape the Encyclical portrays compels us, as international community, to take up our part of the work and to take actions, keeping the dignity of the person at the core and the integral development of each individual as the pole star.

Thank you.