France, May 25 -- In a lengthy text, known as an encyclical. Pope Leo called for ownership of AI data not to be left solely in private hands, for developers and policy-makers not to use it for war, and to protect the rights of workers and keep children safe.

"What is needed is a more active political involvement that is capable of slowing things down when everything is accelerating," Leo wrote in the text entitled "Magnifica Humanitas" (Magnificent Humanity), urging the cooling of competition between AI companies and more oversight and legal frameworks regulating the technology. Impact of the encyclical

The release of "Magnifica Humanitas" follows several years of study by the Church of AI-related technologies. Leo's predecessor Pope Fr...