Cardinal Fernando Chomali, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile, has outlined a 10-point guide to decipher the central message of Magnifica Humanitas, the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, released on May 25. The document, subtitled “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” urges society and AI developers to adhere to “more rigorous ethical constraints” out of “respect for human dignity and the sanctity of life.”
The cardinal’s points emphasize that the human person must remain at the core of technological progress, warning that the primary challenge is not technical but human and spiritual. He insists that AI must serve the common good, human dignity is independent of productivity, and fragility is not a defect to be eliminated. Crucially, no AI can replicate human experience, truth is a protected common good, human work must not be subjugated to machines, freedom is threatened by new controls, and peace and love offer a true alternative to technological power.
Archbishop René Rebolledo Salinas, president of the Chilean Bishops’ Conference, praised the encyclical’s deep relevance to Chile’s pastoral and social challenges, particularly regarding youth vulnerability to technological addictions and digital manipulation. He noted that “the digital environment is the natural mission territory for the new generations” and stressed the need to accompany young people in carrying the Gospel into this new frontier.
Rebolledo also highlighted the upcoming International Church Communications Seminar in Chile (July 27-28), themed “The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence,” which will use Magnifica Humanitas as a foundational text. He echoed the pope’s concern that AI driven solely by profit builds a new Babel that sacrifices the vulnerable, directly challenging the Church to address emerging forms of poverty and to protect truth in an era of disinformation and AI-driven confusion.
