Unless you’ve been living under a rock like me, you’ve probably noticed that Artificial Intelligence is everywhere — and the conversation around it isn’t slowing down anytime soon. This week it reached a new level when Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, a sweeping 42,000-word document addressing AI and what it means for humanity. You can read the full coverage here: https://time.com/article/2026/05/25/pope-leo-encyclical-ai-magnifica-humanitas/
Now before you scroll past thinking this is a religious post — stick with me. Because whether you’re a person of faith or not, he makes some points worth thinking about.
The Pope isn’t anti-technology. He’s pro-humanity. His argument is simple: AI takes on the character of the people who build it, fund it, and use it. That means the responsibility lands squarely on us. He also raises a deeper concern — that we may start seeing ourselves and each other as purely optimizable, something to be upgraded and corrected. And in chasing that, we lose the very things that make life worth living.
I use AI tools every day in my creative work at Dragon Graphics. And I can tell you firsthand — they don’t replace my vision. They extend it. The idea still starts with me. The soul behind the image is still human. The tool doesn’t dream. You do.
That’s exactly the distinction the Pope is drawing. AI isn’t inherently good or evil — it reflects whoever is holding the wheel. Used with conscience and intention, it’s a powerful tool that can lift people up. Used carelessly, it becomes something else entirely.
Worth reading. Worth the conversation.
— Steve | Dragon Graphics
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