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Pope Leo XIV on Monday released a 42,000-word encyclical calling for government regulation of artificial intelligence and implored world leaders to ensure the burgeoning technology is used for the benefit of all humankind — not concentrated in the hands of a powerful, profit-seeking few.

Leo warned in the first major theological document of his papacy that unrestrained AI and its potentially far-reaching impacts — including mass job loss, environmental degradation, and increasingly catastrophic warfare — heightens the “risk of dehumanization,” subjugating much of humanity in the name of “greater efficiency” and technological advancement.

“As with every major technological shift, AI tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources, expertise, and access to data,” Leo wrote in the document, titled Magnifica Humanitas. “In light of the common good and the universal destination of goods, this raises serious concerns, since small but highly influential groups can shape information and consumption patterns, influence democratic processes, and steer economic dynamics to their own advantage, undermining social justice and solidarity among peoples.”

Leo warned that eliminating jobs en masse by replacing human beings with robots — an aim of some of the most powerful companies in the world, including the e-commerce behemoth Amazon —........

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