Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on AI risks

May 28, 2026

Pope Leo XIV released a 40,000-word document warning that AI could harm humanity, and this lines up with growing worries about job losses, cyber attacks, and the Trump administration backing off AI safety rules.

  • The Pope, a trained mathematician, warns AI should serve people, not the other way around, and could threaten jobs, privacy, and human dignity if left unchecked.
  • Trump was hours away from signing an order requiring AI safety reviews, but pulled it after David Sacks said it would hurt US competition with China.
  • A new national security memo lets the government label people as "anti-tech extremists" just for protesting data centers, which could chill free speech.
  • AI capabilities are doubling every four months, raising the risk of a major cyber attack by a terrorist group or China within 6 to 9 months.
  • Over 130,000 jobs have already been lost to AI, and pushback against data centers is now bipartisan and spreading in both rural and city areas.

Outlook: Expect AI safety and job losses to become bigger political issues heading into the 2026 midterms and the 2028 election.

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