Has Pope Leo's encyclical on AI been written with AI?
Anonymous experts say yes… and think it totally makes sense
According to an anonymous analysis of Pope Leo’s epochal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the document has used Artificial Intelligence “significantly” in the writing process, but concludes that the final product is completely human and totally consistent with the type of use of AI the Vatican recommends.
“The analysis identifies specific passages, structural patterns, and stylistic markers characteristic of large language model (LLM) output, while also noting evidence of substantive human theological direction and editing.”
As evidence of AI authorship, the report point out:
• Five consecutive sentences using identical “To speak of X means/calls for/obliges/requires Y” template
• Systematic coverage of all five Social Doctrine principles in order (common good, universal destination, subsidiarity, solidarity, justice)
• Each principle receives exactly one sentence—mechanically balanced
• No variation in syntax or rhetorical rhythm across the five iterations
• Pattern suggests prompting: “Apply each Social Doctrine principle to AI governance”
• Exhaustive enumeration: experiences, body, joy, pain, relationships, love, work, friendship, responsibility, moral conscience, good, evil, meaning, consequences—14+ distinct categories
• Systematic negation structure (”do not... do not... do not...”) repeated throughout
• Reads like a comprehensive response to prompt: “What capabilities does AI lack compared to humans?”
• The comprehensiveness itself is suspicious—human authors typically emphasize 3-4 key distinctions
“Magnifica Humanitas exhibits clear signatures of AI-assisted drafting in specific passages, particularly those featuring systematic enumeration, parallel structures, and comprehensive categorical coverage. However, the document’s theological architecture, bold institutional decisions, and obscure citations indicate substantial human direction and control.”
“The irony of an encyclical warning about AI being partially AI-drafted is notable but not necessarily hypocritical. The document itself calls for AI to be used as a tool under human direction, with humans maintaining responsibility for consequential decisions. If the hypothesized workflow is accurate, the Vatican has practiced what the encyclical preaches: using AI instrumentally while retaining human theological judgment and institutional accountability.”