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“RTMH: Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas on AI” by Zvi


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His holiness has spoken, frequently about AI. At eighty two pages of length.

The full Magnifica Humanitas can be found here.

I am very happy that Pope Leo takes these issues seriously, and is sharing his views, and bringing a form of moral clarity, even with all the flaws and central errors. More people with voice should share their views in this way, even when I disagree.

It's a weird document. Much of it is not about AI at all.

I do agree with the Pope's most basic point on AI, which is that AI can be what we make of it. That we can steer this technology, determine how it is developed and used, and this can determine whether we get a good or not so good future. We cannot purely leave this to market incentives and strategic pressures. Yes, very much so.

The central problem is that so much of Leo's worldview is some combination, to me, of highly alien and highly wrong. You might think that would primarily have a lot to do with him being the Pope and rather Catholic, and being a man of faith, whereas I am not [...]

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Outline:

(03:02) A Brief History of Magnifica Humanitas

(12:23) Economic Models Very Different From Our Own

(14:14) A New Jerusalem

(16:46) So Sayeth The Pope (on AI)

(31:30) The Case Against Human Achievement

(34:01) Truth, Justice and the Vatican Way

(36:42) They Took Our Jobs

(41:07) What Is Not Fair In Love and War

(47:02) Come Ye Christian Faithful

(49:13) The Other Missing Mood

(51:42) Pope Given About Five Words

(55:10) 0The Anthropic Principle

(57:20) Claude Can Read Your Code

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First published:

May 26th, 2026

Source:

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/RZeg98Tdrq47vbjva/rtmh-pope-leo-s-magnifica-humanitas-on-ai

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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