Anthropic Official Will Join Pope Leo For New AI Church Policy Statement

BreakingBusinessAnthropic Official Will Join Pope Leo For New AI Church Policy StatementByConor Murray,Forbes Staff. Murray is a Forbes news reporter covering entertainment trends.Follow AuthorMay 18, 2026, 11:04am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplinePope Leo XIV will present a major Church document on artificial intelligence next week and he will be joined by Chris Olah, the billionaire co-founder of Anthropic, the AI giant that has cautioned about the use of AI for dangerous means, and has run afoul (like the pope) of President Trump. Pope Leo XIV will unveil an encyclical letter on AI next week. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsLeo will present “Magnifica humanitas,” the first encyclical letter of his papacy, at the Vatican on May 25, which the Church said Monday morning will discuss “preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.”Popes typically author a few encyclical letters during their tenures, which offer guidance on Church teachings (Francis, Leo’s predecessor, issued four encyclicals during his 12-year papacy, including a nearly 200-page letter urging action on climate change).Leo will present the encyclical alongside multiple speakers, including cardinals, academics and Olah, who co-founded Anthropic in 2021 with six other former OpenAI employees and serves as a lead researcher.It’s not yet clear what the pope’s letter will say, but Leo has offered critiques of AI in the past, warning in previous remarks the technology “cannot replace human intelligence” and cannot judge between right and wrong. Days earlier, the Vatican announced Leo had created a study group on AI ahead of his encyclical to examine the technology’s “potential effects on human beings” and “the church’s concern for the dignity of every human being.” if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document....