Irish Examiner view: Humanity must come before AI

In a time of cynicism and division, Pope Leo has offered a vision rooted in human dignity

'Equally important is the Pope’s concern for the dignity of work and the danger that technological change may leave millions feeling economically and socially discarded.' File picture: Gregorio Borgia/AP

In an age when public trust in leaders is in steep decline, Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, offers something increasingly rare: Authentic moral leadership.

It arrives at a moment when AI is rapidly reshaping economies, workplaces, public discourse, and even our understanding of what it means to be human. Governments are scrambling to regulate it. Tech companies are racing to commercialise it. Citizens are left wondering whether the benefits promised by this revolution will outweigh its risks.