Pope, Anthropic Co-Founder to Unveil AI Encyclical May 25

The Vatican is preparing to enter the AI debate in a way few institutions can. Pope Leo XIV and Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, will jointly unveil the pontiff's first encyclical on May 25—a document on preserving human dignity in the era of artificial intelligence.

The collaboration is remarkable for its symbolic weight. Anthropic, one of the world's most influential AI safety companies, will stand alongside the Catholic Church as it articulates a moral framework for AI development. The encyclical positions the Vatican not as a technology observer but as a moral authority weighing in on one of the defining questions of our time.

For Montreal residents watching this unfold, the signal is interesting. Anthropic has significant presence and influence in North America's tech discourse, and the papal intervention suggests that mainstream institutions—not just technologists and regulators—are recognizing AI as a civilization-level concern. The timing also matters: as governments debate legislation like Bill C-22, the church is offering a different kind of framework: ethical rather than purely regulatory.

Vatican insiders suggest the encyclical will address specific concerns: labor displacement, algorithmic bias, surveillance, and the need to preserve human autonomy in decision-making. The document is expected to affirm technological progress while drawing hard lines around what should remain fundamentally human—care, conscience, justice.

What happens on May 25 will reverberate through policy circles and tech companies alike. When the pope speaks, even on modern topics, the world listens.