Cardinal Poola warns of AI’s effects on Dalits, calls encyclical a ‘clear moral compass’

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, one of the countries most actively developing artificial intelligence, has welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas.

In a statement issued following the document’s release, the Bishops thanked Pope Leo for providing what they refer to as “an ethical guide” for “dealing with the challenges of AI.”

Tackles pressing challenges for people of India

They particularly emphasize how unemployment, inequality, surveillance, and the concentration of power are pressing challenges for the people of India, and note that the encyclical’s awareness of these issues, and how they could be compounded by artificial intelligence, is especially valuable.

The Bishops highlight that Pope Leo, in Magnifica humanitas, offers a perspective for approaching these problems by reaffirming the “centrality of the human person, created in the image of God,” and by emphasizing that technological development should be “guided by ethical principles grounded in human dignity, justice, and the common good.”

Valuable contribution to the Church’s Social Teaching

The Bishops also describe the text as “a valuable contribution to the Social Teaching of the Church,” underlining its continuity with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum.

According to the Vatican news agency Fides, the Church in India, composed of some 20 million faithful, intends to use the encyclical in parishes and educational institutions to educate and raise awareness on artificial intelligence.

Given the increasing spread of artificial intelligence in India, and its transformative effect on work, education, and society, the CBCI recommends the encyclical as a valuable guide for pastors, educators, policymakers, and the faithful.

The Bishops have expressed their commitment to deepening and disseminating the encyclical, especially through formation programs, Catholic educational institutions, and social apostolate initiatives.

‘A clear moral compass’

Cardinal Anthony Poola, the President of the CBCI, emphasized that the document offers “a clear moral compass in a time of rapid technological change” and underscores the need to protect the most vulnerable from the potentially negative effects of uncontrolled artificial intelligence.

Cardinal Poola said that India’s Catholic Bishops “encourage all Catholics and people of good will to read the encyclical in a spirit of prayer and to foster a culture in which technology serves the integral development of every human being.”

The Church in India, Fides states, is also concerned with the impact of AI on Dalits. While the Bishops observe the risk of exacerbating historical discrimination, they also recognize that AI, if used according to ethical principles, could promote greater inclusion.

Against this backdrop, Fides highlights, Magnifica humanitas is being published at a time when intense debates are underway regarding the ethics and societal impact of AI, especially in education, employment, and on the vulnerable.

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Media focus on risks to jobs and regulatory aspects

Moreover, Fides reports that the encyclical has attracted media attention in India. The Hindu, for example, highlighted the Pope’s call to “disarm AI,” framing the text as a “global ethical manifesto” urging India to implement appropriate regulatory measures.

The press, the agency notes, have been concentrating on its focus on employment, given the potentially high risks to jobs in the country’s substantial IT sector.

For the most part, it adds, media in India welcomed the encyclical’s call for careful regulation of AI processes and the Pope’s insistence on safeguarding human beings and the common good.