For the true believers: Albanese echoes Pope Leo in his own AI missive

July 15, 2026 — 5:50pm

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In the first encyclical of his papacy, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV singled out artificial intelligence as a defining moral challenge of our age. The rapidly advancing technology, he warned in a 42,000-word treatise released in May, must be regulated to ensure it serves, rather than undermines, humanity.

Anthony Albanese, who grew up in the Catholic Church and has reconnected with his faith later in life, briefly referenced the papal encyclical in his first major speech on AI on Wednesday. The setting for the event also had a decidedly religious feel: the University of Sydney’s sandstone Great Hall, which resembles a cathedral with its vaulting stained-glass windows and pipe organ.

The prime minister, however, made no pretence of aiming for such lofty philosophical heights as the Pope in his 20-minute address. He is a political leader, not a religious one, after all. And the timing of the speech was inherently political – a week before Labor’s........

© The Age