Anthropic described as warning it leads on ethics but another lab could pass it within six months
Concluded·New·in the edition since 29 Sep 2026·4 sources·updated 29 Sep 2026
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas
The gist
Pope Leo XIV's AI Encyclical Draws Praise, Criticism, and CCP Charge
A papal encyclical is formal Church teaching and carries weight across a large global institution; its direct engagement with AI development, safety, and specific companies places the Catholic Church among institutions formally taking positions on AI governance. The range of reactions, from vendor lobbying charges to geopolitical accusations, shows the encyclical is being read through competing frames beyond theology.
The full picture
Pope Leo XIV signed Magnifica Humanitas on May 15, 2026, with the Holy See releasing it publicly on May 25. The encyclical applies Catholic social teaching to artificial intelligence, addressing questions of human dignity, labor, and the common good within a tradition running from Rerum Novarum through Centesimus Annus and Laudato Si', and invokes justice against what it calls an 'antihuman vision' in AI. The encyclical also includes criticism directed at Nvidia's Jensen Huang over AI safety.
Reactions have been varied. Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah attended the event at which the encyclical was announced, prompting one observer, quoted by Simon Willison, to write that getting the Pope to frame a company's technical limitations as spiritual doctrine was 'the single greatest act of vendor lobbying I have ever seen'. AI safety researcher Miles Brundage said he found meaningful material in the document despite other complaints, specifically endorsing its Babel metaphor as a critique of the view that 'ASI going well is just an engineering issue'. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Peter Thiel accused the encyclical of effectively serving Chinese Communist Party interests, calling Pope Leo 'a useful idiot for the C.C.P.' while stopping short of calling him a CCP agent.
Pope Leo's choice of name telegraphed the encyclical's intent from the start: Leo XIII wrote Rerum Novarum in 1891 addressing the Industrial Revolution, and that encyclical indirectly contributed to the five-day work week.
How it developed
Reports emerge that Anthropic flew Swami Sarvapriyananda to SF HQ under NDA for Claude training consultation
New York Times reports Anthropic has quietly engaged religious scholars across multiple faith traditions to inform its AI moral framework
Peter Thiel, at the Aspen Ideas Festival, called Pope Leo XIV a 'useful idiot for the C.C.P.' and said Magnifica Humanitas, signed May 15 to address AI and human dignity, was 'in effect...working for the Communist party'.
Pope Leo also pushed back on President Trump's UN General Assembly claim that AI-threat fears are a 'hoax,' saying the issue requires dialogue though he is not in 'panic mode,' and noted that Jensen Huang announced a new Nvidia safety platform while simultaneously opposing government regulation of AI.
First in the edition · 29 September 2026
Simon Willison's retrospective notes Olah's attendance and the vendor lobbying quip
Holy See releases encyclical publicly
Sources
Miles Brundage Twitter
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