What has Pope Leo warned about AI – and why that’s significant

Al Jazeera · 🇶🇦 public Qatar · May 26, 2026 · 1386 words · By Priyanka Shankar

AI Ethics and Governance AI in Warfare Historical Accountability/Slavery Papal Authority and Religious Guidance

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What to know about AI Ethics and Governance

What has Pope Leo warned about AI – and why that’s significant The pontiff presented his encyclical at the Vatican alongside AI experts.

Claims checked 21

Techniques found 2

Topics 4

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left11%

Center89%

Right0%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

What has Pope Leo warned about AI – and why that’s significant The pontiff presented his encyclical at the Vatican alongside AI experts.

Why it matters

Pope Leo XIV says artificial intelligence must be “disarmed” as world leaders and private companies increase the technology’s use in many human activities, including war.

Common ground

On Monday, in the first encyclical of his papacy, titled Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, the pope warned against “a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets” driven by “the desire…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this AI Ethics and Governance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that In January, Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the US after Walmart, laid off 16,000 employees?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/26/what-has-pope-leo-warned-about-ai-and-w…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 70% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 21 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 11

check_circle Corroborated 9

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “In January, Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the US after Walmart, laid off 16,000 employees”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Since he was elected in May 2025, Leo has made the topic of artificial intelligence a cornerstone of his papacy.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Daily Maverick, Deutsche Welle, Flipboard, The Conversation, France24) and Wikipedia confirm that Pope Leo XIV was elected on May 8, 2025.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — This is the first encyclical of the America-born Pontiff since his election on 8 May 2025
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-26-the-popes…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Pope Leo XIV has appointed several bishops with migration backgrounds since his election in May 2025.
https://www.dw.com/en/german-catholic-church-consecrates-fir…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — When Pope Leo XIV was elected in May 2025, many observers expected a quieter pontificate than his predecessor, Francis—a scholar-administrator from …
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/pentagon-erases-wounded-u-s…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “he also addressed the Catholic Church’s role in slavery and “sincerely asked for pardon” in the name of the Vatican.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “In October 2021, speaking from the Vatican to the World Meeting of Popular Movements via video, Francis also said...”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “Encyclicals are letters written by the pope and sent to Catholic bishops.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple authoritative sources (EWTN and other Catholic reference sites) define a papal encyclical as a letter written by the pope primarily addressed to bishops.

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web search NEUTRAL — A papal encyclical is a pastoral letter written by the pope, primarily addressed to bishops but also to Catholics and all people, typically reflecting on Church teachings and suggesting ways to apply …
https://www.ncregister.com/cna/ewtn-news-encyclical-explaine…

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web search NEUTRAL — A Papal Encyclical is the name typically given to a letter written by a Pope to a particular audience of Bishops.By exception, encyclicals are also sometimes addressed to the archbishops and bishops o…
https://www.papalencyclicals.net/encyclical

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web search NEUTRAL — CATHOLICISM.Encyclicals. A papal encyclical is a letter written by the pope primarily to the bishops but also to Catholics and all people regarding certain social, moral, or theological questions.
https://ewtn.co.uk/article-ewtn-news-explains-why-do-popes-i…

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Claim 6: “In March, the US military confirmed using a “variety” of AI tools in the US-Israel war on Iran”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from March 2026 confirm the US military's use of advanced AI tools in a conflict involving Iran and Israel.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 27, 2026 ... The war in Iran has added to concerns about the risks of using AI to select targets during armed conflict.
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/03/iran-war-highlights-cre…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 11, 2026 ... Benjamin Bol Mel Jr. That's how Israel used AI on their missing leader who had 6 fingers. 10w.
https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/posts/us-military-confirm…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 6, 2026 ... In response, Iran has launched drone and missile attacks on Israel, as well as multiple Gulf nations and US military assets in the region. Many ...
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg8wvz427vo

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Claim 7: “In October, The New York Times reported that the company had plans “to replace more than half a million jobs with robots”.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “the church’s 1.4 billion members”

CORROBORATED

Five independent news cross-references (Deutsche Welle, NY Post, CNBC, Daily Maverick, Daily Dispatch) all cite the Catholic Church as having 1.4 billion members.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autono…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Catholic Church (Latin: Ecclesia Catholica), also called the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with an estimated 1.28 to 1.41 billion baptized members worldwide as of 2026. I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Latin: Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae; commonly called the Catechism or the CCC) is a reference work that summarizes the Catholic Church's doctrine. It was prom…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechism_of_the_Catholic_Chur…

+ 5 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “In his 2009 encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI also explored technological development in one section”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “a series of 15th-century directives from the Vatican authorised Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “The “just war” theory espoused recently by US President Donald Trump’s administration”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “The leader of the Catholic Church presented the encyclical at the Vatican alongside AI experts, including Christopher Olah, the cofounder of the United States-based AI giant Anthropic.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results confirm that Pope Leo XIV presented the encyclical at the Vatican alongside AI experts, specifically mentioning Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible cardinal electors, all but two attended. On the fourth ballot, the co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_conclave

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since January 2026, a diplomatic rift has emerged between the United States and the Holy See, which governs Vatican City and the Catholic Church, stemming from Pope Leo XIV's opposition to US foreign …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Holy_See–United_States_ri…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, pronounced PREE-vohst; September 14, 1955) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. He is the first pope to have been born in the U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “according to UNICEF, “the growing prevalence of AI-powered image or video generation tools that produce child sexual abuse material marks a significant escalation in risks to children through digital technologies.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “In his 2015 encyclical, which focused on the environment and climate change, Pope Francis dedicated a section to technology”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “According to the Vatican News, he spoke in November about how the technology must be used in a responsible manner in the healthcare sector.”

VERIFIED

Vatican News is cited in web search results as the source for the Pope's observations on the responsible use of AI in healthcare during the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence.

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web search NEUTRAL — "Pope Leo XIV made this observation in his message to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence which was published on Friday.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-06/pope-leo-on-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV speaks during a meeting with bishops, members of the clergy and families whose members have been victims of environmental pollution at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in Acerra, Ita…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/30/pope-leo-ai-re…

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web search NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV speaks with the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican May 10, 2025, during his first formal address to the college since his election May 8. (CNS photo/Vatican Media).
https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/pope-leo-call…

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Claim 16: “Pope Leo XIV says artificial intelligence must be “disarmed””

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results explicitly state that Pope Leo XIV called for artificial intelligence to be 'disarmed' and freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of war.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) comes from an American family of French, Italian, Spanish and Louisiana Creole descent. The surname "Prevost" (originally "Prévost") is from a French cognate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Pope_Leo_XIV

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 18 May 2025, Pope Leo XIV celebrated the inauguration Mass of his pontificate, formally known as the "Mass for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome". The event was attended b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_of_Pope_Leo_XIV

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 17: “his encyclical, which spans nearly 43,000 words”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources (CNBC and Al Jazeera) specifically state that the encyclical spans nearly 43,000 words.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Monday’s highly anticipated text, spanning nearly 43,000 words, has been in the works nearly since Leo’s election as pope a little more than a year ago.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/25/pope-says-ai-must-b…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Monday's highly anticipated text, spanning nearly 43,000 words, has been in the works nearly since Leo's election as pope a little more than a year ago
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/25/pope-leo-issues-warnings-abo…

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Claim 18: “Shannen Dee Williams, historian at the University of Dayton in the US state of Ohio and author of a 2022 history of American Black Catholic nuns called Subversive Habits”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 19: “The pope has also repeatedly clashed with the White House over the US-Israel war on Iran”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 20: “On Monday, in the first encyclical of his papacy, titled Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, the pope warned against “a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets””

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the release of the first encyclical titled 'Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence'.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 21: “In 2024, Al Jazeera and other media outlets revealed that Israeli-linked AI systems, such as Lavender and Gospel, had helped generate thousands of military targets in Gaza”

CORROBORATED

Al Jazeera and Wikipedia confirm that AI systems named Lavender and Gospel were used by the IDF to generate targets in Gaza in 2024.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 28, 2024 ... Gospel and Lavender are decision-support tools humans use to improve the identification of military objectives and targetable individuals.
https://lieber.westpoint.edu/gospel-lavender-law-armed-confl…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 3, 2024 ... The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight.
https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/

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web search NEUTRAL — As part of the Gaza war, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have used artificial intelligence to rapidly and automatically perform much of the process of ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI-assisted_targeting_in_the_G…

+ 1 more evidence source

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.