A recent analysis suggests that artificial intelligence may have contributed to sections of Pope Leo XIV's latest encyclical addressing AI's impact on humanity. Linch Zhang's findings, published on the LessWrong forum, indicate that certain paragraphs within the document, titled "Magnifica Humanitas," registered as between 40 percent and 100 percent AI-written, according to the widely-used AI detection tool, Pangram.
The encyclical reportedly exhibits traits commonly associated with AI-generated text, such as an elevated frequency of the word "genuinely" – a characteristic previously observed in writing produced by Anthropic's Claude, Zhang noted. Further independent verification showed that when another individual processed the document section by section through Pangram, 62 percent of its inaugural chapter was flagged as AI-generated. Similarly, The Verger's assessment of approximately 2,000 words from the document via Pangram estimated 46 percent to be AI-written.
However, the analysis also revealed sections unequivocally attributed to human authorship. Zhang pointed out that Pangram identified certain portions as "essentially 0% AI." For context, the first 20 paragraphs of the last four encyclicals, when evaluated by Pangram, consistently showed 100 percent confidence in human authorship. A transcript of Pope Leo’s own speech, also subjected to Pangram's analysis, was likewise rated as 100 percent human-written.
It is crucial to acknowledge that AI detection technologies are not infallible. Different AI detectors can yield varying results, and even when there is a consensus, accuracy is not guaranteed. Nevertheless, Pangram maintains a respected standing among AI researchers. In March 2025, Pangram reported an estimated false positive rate of approximately 1 in 10,000 for incorrectly identifying human-written content as AI-generated.
Encyclicals, as defined by The New York Times, are substantial letters issued by the pope, designed to convey teachings on significant moral and social challenges of the era. This particular encyclical marks Pope Leo's first, following the most recent one penned by Pope Francis in October 2024. Significantly, it is also the first papal letter to focus entirely on artificial intelligence and its extensive influences, with Pope Leo notably presenting it alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic.
The Vatican has not yet responded to inquiries regarding these findings.
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