ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV and the co-founder of artificial intelligence company Anthropic will launch the pontiff’s first encyclical on May 25, a document on the care of human dignity in the era of AI, the Vatican said Monday.
Anthropic has billed itself as the AI company that puts safety and risk-mitigation at the forefront of its research. As a result, the presence of Anthropic's Christopher Olah at the Vatican is significant, and suggests that the U.S. pope's position on AI will become a new flashpoint with the Trump administration.
In February, the Trump administration ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Anthropic’s artificial intelligence technology and imposed other major penalties for refusing to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of its AI technology. Anthropic is currently suing the administration, which it has accused of retaliating against it illegally because of its attempt to impose limits on how its AI technology can be deployed.
Leo, who has made AI a priority of his young pontificate, is greatly concerned about AI in warfare and has called for monitoring of how the technology is used.
The pope’s presence at the launch of the document, Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) is also significant, since such presentations are usually conducted in the Vatican press room with a few selected officials and invited guests who answer reporters questions about the document.
This time, the Vatican is bringing out an all-star cast for a formal launch in the main Vatican auditorium: Two of its top cardinals, doctrine chief Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and development chief Cardinal Michael Czerny, will be the main presenters. Olah will be among the lay speakers, along with theologians Anna Rowlands and Leocadie Lushombo.
The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, will offer a conclusion and Leo will make a speech and provide a final blessing, the Vatican said.
Leo signed the document May 15, 135 years to the day after his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, signed his most important encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” or Of New Things. That document addressed workers’ rights, the limits of capitalism, and the obligations that states and employers owed workers as the Industrial Revolution was underway.
It became the foundation of modern Catholic social thought, and the current pope has already cited it in relation to the AI revolution, which he believes poses the same existential questions that the Industrial Revolution posed over a century ago. The new encyclical is expected to place the AI question in the context of the church’s social teaching, which also covers issues such as labor, justice and peace.
Anthropic chief Dario Amodei had worked at OpenAI before he and a group quit to form Anthropic in 2021, disagreeing with OpenAI chief Sam Altman about AI safety. The newer company promised a clearer focus on the safety of the better-than-human technology called artificial general intelligence that both San Francisco firms aim to build.
In a recent post on its website, Anthropic wrote about the U.S.-China competition in AI and the threats of the technology falling into the hands of authoritarian regimes. It warned that the U.S. and democratic allies must continue to lead on AI development and impose rules and norms on its spread, to prevent China and other authoritarian regimes from deploying it as a weapon of repression and surveillance.
Earlier this year, privately held Anthropic said its valuation grew to $380 billion, positioning itself with its chatbot Claude alongside rivals OpenAI and Elon Musk’s rocket maker SpaceX, which recently merged with his AI startup xAI, maker of the chatbot Grok.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Leo XIV delivers his blessing as he recites the Regina Coeli noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV delivers his blessing as he recites the Regina Coeli noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
CHICAGO (AP) — Munetaka Murakami has a fun handshake with fellow infielder Miguel Vargas. He playfully agreed that a magic wand routine with teammate Mike Vasil helped him slam another homer. His No. 5 jersey dots the stands at Rate Field.
The Japanese slugger wasn't supposed to end up with the Chicago White Sox. But it's working out quite well at the moment.
Murakami looks right at home with a promising group of young position players in Chicago, and they have been mashing the ball so far this season. Murakami has an AL-leading 17 homers and a team-high 32 RBIs through Sunday's action, and the surprising White Sox are tied for second in the majors with 66 homers overall.
“It’s the full lineup, one through nine. Feeding off each other,” Murakami said through his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi. “It’s a great confidence builder, seeing other players get good results. I just want to be that contributor and contribute to the lineup and contribute to the team’s wins.”
Murakami’s 17 homers are tied for third-most by a player in major league history in his first 45 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He went deep in a record eight consecutive series openers from April 14 to May 8.
When Murakami strides to the plate, one of baseball's three true outcomes is the likely result. He also ranks among the major league leaders with 36 walks and 66 strikeouts.
“He’s a superstar. There’s no other way to do it,” White Sox pitcher Davis Martin said. “You play against guys like (Mike) Trout, you play against guys like (Aaron) Judge and Yordan Alvarez and he’s doing the same things that they are. It’s an incredible thing to watch.”
Murakami is the fourth Japanese-born player to play for the White Sox, joining Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07) and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Takatsu managed Murakami in Japan.
“He’s had to make a ton of adjustments to get comfortable," White Sox manager Will Venable said. "And I know that probably is not easy for him. So yeah, he’s just a guy who has that flexibility to come into different environments and then get comfortable and I think this speaks a lot to his character and who he is.”
The 26-year-old Murakami was Central League MVP in 2021 and ’22. He was limited to 56 games last season because of an oblique injury, but he batted .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs.
He entered MLB's posting system in November. When the market was lighter than expected — there was some exaggerated concern about his ability to handle velocity — the White Sox signed the slugger to a $34 million, two-year contract in December.
During Murakami's fast start this season, White Sox general manager Chris Getz has fielded some laudatory calls from other GMs.
“One GM said ‘Congratulations, you beat the industry on this one,’” Getz said, “so that was nice to hear, and it’s worked out and you know we feel really excited about having him in a White Sox uniform and he’s helping us win baseball games.”
Murakami was a late arrival for his first spring training game after he got caught in some traffic. But it has been smooth sailing most of the time.
He hit a solo homer in his first three regular-season games. He crushed a 431-foot grand slam in a 9-2 victory at the Athletics on April 17, beginning a five-game homer streak. He connected for a three-run shot in an 8-7 victory over the Angels last month.
With Vasil continuing to wave a magic wand in the White Sox dugout, Murakami went deep twice in his first career multihomer game on Saturday night against the crosstown Cubs.
He isn't sneaking up on anyone anymore.
“He’s a dangerous hitter and a guy you definitely have to be careful with,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
Murakami wants to get better, too. He said his biggest challenge has been adjusting to new pitchers every day, and he is growing more comfortable at first base.
Asked about his biggest challenge in moving to the majors, he paused and smiled.
“Compared to Japan, here, the environment's totally different,” he said. “The space, the fields and everything is really nice. That’s the ... biggest surprise.”
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Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami celebrates with teammate Sam Antonacci (17) at home plate after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami watches his solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami, right, celebrates with closing pitcher Trevor Richards (43) after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Chicago, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami watches his two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami (5) celebrates with manager Will Venable (1) at the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
