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In the first major text of his papacy, Pope Leo will address the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. The Chicago-born pontiff will present the document, known as an encyclical, at the Vatican next week during an event attended by Christopher Olah, the co-founder of Anthropic - a US-based AI firm that has clashed with Donald Trump's administration. The encyclical will address "the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence", the Vatican said on Monday. In a break from tradition, Leo, who was elected pontiff in May last year, will launch the document during a public presentation on 25 May. He will be joined by lay speaker Olah of Anthropic, which is in the middle of a high-profile lawsuit with the Trump administration over the ethics of AI, as well as theologians Anna Rowlands and Léocadie Lushombo. Encyclicals are one of the highest forms of teaching from a pope to the Catholic church's 1.4 billion members, and typically outline his priorities while highlighting the major issues in society. Leo is expected to consider how AI is affecting workers' rights while lamenting its use in warfare. "His encyclical is going to be a response to the dazzlingly rapid technological revolution that is happening right now," said Andrea Vreede, a Vatican correspondent for the Dutch public radio and TV network NOS. "So he will say things like AI shouldn't be used in warfare, that is obvious. But he will also try to be positive and offer workable answers to modern challenges." The Vatican said Leo signed the document, which is entitled Magnifica Humanitas, or Magnificent Humanity, on 15 May - 135 years after his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, signed his most significant encyclical, which focused on the Industrial Revolution that was under way at the time while addressing workers' rights and capitalism. "The fact that Leo signed the document on the same date as Leo XIII signed his encycical is significant," said Vreede. "The 1891 document was a response to the industrial revolution, when there were immediate and practical consequences to society, and this one addresses the technological revolution." Christopher White, the author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy and a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, said the Vatican had been seriously engaged on questions surrounding AI for several years now, pointing to regular dialogues with Microsoft, Google and other major technology firms. "Leo's new encyclical is likely to build on that tradition - not from a perspective of doomerism but one of caution that as technology advances, the human person should be kept at the centre of the discussion," said White. "Like Pope Francis, Leo will likely raise concern about the dignity of work and the need to ensure that technological advancements don't override the dignity of workers and their rights. And he'll likely insist on the need for stringent regulation and a ban on lethal autonomous weapons." Traditionally, a pope's encyclical is presented by cardinals. While the main presenters will be the Vatican's top cardinals, doctrine chief Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and development chief Cardinal Michael Czerny, the fact that lay speakers have been invited - along with Leo's attendance - is also significant. Vreede said: "That's a very clever strategic communication move, because if the cardinals do it, nobody really listens, but if the pope is there, all the cameras will be there, and we will all listen."

A US jury has ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against ⁠OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world's richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity. In a unanimous verdict, the jury in Oakland, California, federal court said Mr Musk had brought his case too late. The jury deliberated less than two hours. The trial had widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should be used and who should benefit from it. Following the verdict, Mr Musk's lawyer said he reserved the right to appeal, but the judge suggested he may have an uphill battle because whether the statute of limitations ran out before Mr Musk sued was a factual issue. "There's a substantial amount of evidence to support the jury's finding, which is why I was prepared to dismiss on the spot," US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said. In his 2024 lawsuit, Mr Musk accused OpenAI, its Chief Executive ⁠Sam Altman and its President Greg Brockman of manipulating him into giving $38 million, then going behind his back by attaching a for-profit business to its original nonprofit and accepting tens of billions of dollars from Microsoft and other investors. Mr Musk called the OpenAI defendants' conduct "stealing a charity". OpenAI was founded by Mr Altman, Mr Musk and several others in 2015. Mr Musk left its board in 2018, and OpenAI set up a for-profit business the next year. OpenAI countered that it was Mr Musk who saw dollar signs, and that he waited too long to claim OpenAI breached its founding agreement to build safe artificial intelligence to benefit humanity. "Mr Musk may have the Midas touch in some areas, but not in AI," William Savitt, a lawyer for OpenAI, said in his closing argument. The verdict followed 11 days of testimony and arguments where Mr ⁠Musk's and Mr Altman's credibility came under repeated attack. Lawyers for OpenAI embraced each other after the verdict was announced. Microsoft faced an aiding and abetting claim. In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said, "the facts and the timeline in this case have long been clear and we welcome the jury's decision ⁠to dismiss these claims as untimely." People use AI for myriad purposes such as education, facial recognition, financial advice, legal research, medical diagnoses, and harmful deep-fakes. Many people express distrust of the technology and worry it could displace people from their jobs. Each side accused the other of being more interested in money than serving the public. In his closing argument, Mr Musk's lawyer Steven Molo reminded jurors that several ⁠witnesses questioned Mr Altman's candor or branded him a liar, and that Mr Altman did not give an unqualified yes when asked during the trial if he was completely trustworthy. "Sam Altman's ⁠credibility is directly at issue," Mr Molo said. "If you don't believe him, they cannot win." Mr Musk accused OpenAI of wrongfully trying to enrich investors and insiders at the nonprofit's expense, and failing to prioritise AI's safety. He also contended that Microsoft knew all along that OpenAI cared more about money than being altruistic. OpenAI competes with AI companies such as Anthropic and xAI, and is preparing for a possible initial public offering that could value the business at $1 trillion. Microsoft has spent more than $100 billion on its partnership with OpenAI, a Microsoft executive testified. Mr Musk's xAI is now part of his space and rocket company SpaceX, which is preparing an IPO that could exceed OpenAI's in size.