When I saw the white smoke rising and heard the joyful cry of Habemus Papam! echoing from St. Peter’s Basilica, my heart swelled with gratitude and hope. The announcement that Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected as Pope Leo XIV filled many of us with renewed optimism—especially American Catholics. As the first American to ascend the Chair of St. Peter, his election marks not only a historic milestone but also a providential moment, one filled with potential for moral clarity amid great ideological challenges.
One of the first encouraging signs was his choice of a papal name: Leo XIV. This is no arbitrary selection. As the Vatican press office reported, the name honors Pope Leo XIII, whose 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social crises brought about by the Industrial Revolution. In that landmark document, Leo XIII championed the dignity of workers, the right to private property, and the need for safe and humane working conditions. He also warned against both the excesses of unbridled capitalism and the false promises of socialism.
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This teaching has enduring relevance. Just 15 years after Rerum Novarum, American author Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, exposing the dehumanizing conditions of Chicago’s meatpacking industry. While both works decry the degradation of human dignity in the face of unchecked industrial power, their solutions are very different—Sinclair advocated socialism, whereas Rerum Novarum rejected socialism and offered an alternative rooted in truth, natural law, and the common good.
Today, we find ourselves on the cusp of another seismic transformation—one not of steam and steel but of data and algorithms. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) promises sweeping changes to labor, economics, and even human identity. In his inaugural address to the College of Cardinals on May 10, 2025, Pope Leo XIV addressed this directly, warning that AI poses new challenges for human dignity, justice, and labor. His remarks signal that under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, the Church is prepared to stand in the breech and offer much-needed moral clarity in a brave new world driven by AI.
Pope Leo XIV’s address is timely and providential. Just months earlier, on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump stood at his second inauguration flanked by some of Silicon Valley’s most powerful figures: Tim Cook, Sergey Brin, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai. These titans of tech command immense influence, and their companies often promote ideologies at odds with Catholic social teaching and traditional values—especially around issues of life, family, and religious liberty. Remember that during the Covid pandemic, many of these platforms engaged in censorship, suppressed dissenting voices, and enforced policies that infringed upon religious and medical freedoms.
If the future of AI is left solely in the hands of such elites—without the grounding wisdom of faith, reason, and Church teaching—we risk repeating the mistakes of the Industrial Revolution on a scale yet unseen. AI, without moral guardrails, could deepen economic disparities, erode human relationships, and degrade work into mere utility.
Yet, there is cause for hope. The convergence of Pope Leo XIV’s moral leadership and the renewed influence of faithful Catholics in American public life, especially following the election of President Trump and Catholic Vice President J.D. Vance, offers a providential opportunity. With leaders like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other conservative Catholics in key policy roles in the Trump administration, we are positioned to shape AI development in a manner that aligns with the Church’s vision for the human person and the common good.
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But to do so, policymakers must draw from both the rich deposit of Catholic social teaching and other compatible voices that affirm human dignity over mere economic output. One such voice is E.F. Schumacher, whose landmark work Small Is Beautiful critiques economic models that favor scale over humanity. Schumacher argues that true progress lies not in industrial might but in promoting human-centered values which advance the common good. His call for a human-scale economy rooted in family and faith is more urgent than ever as AI threatens to displace millions of workers and centralize power in the hands of the elites.
Similarly, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum’s Blue Collar Conservatives speaks to the economic dislocation felt by working families—many of whom form the backbone of our parishes and communities. Santorum’s critique of elite-driven policy resonates in the heartland, where the effects of globalization and automation are felt most acutely. He reminds us that any true conservatism must protect the worker, the family, and the community. As AI reshapes labor markets, Santorum’s insights offer a practical roadmap for ensuring that technological progress does not come at the cost of human dignity and the common good.
In light of these converging themes—Catholic social teaching, populist economics, and moral clarity—we must ask: What kind of future do we want AI to create? Will it serve the human person, or will it reduce us to mere tools to be used by a utilitarian, profit-driven economy?
President Trump has rightly emphasized the need for America to “win” the AI race. But winning must not be defined solely by economic or military advantage. We must measure success by whether AI strengthens human dignity, protects the vulnerable, and promotes the common good. This will require regulatory frameworks that are deeply informed by Catholic principles—especially subsidiarity and solidarity, along with traditional values like faith, family, and freedom.
