S8 Ep1265: Graham McAleer: Pope Leo has issued a bold encyclical addressing the ethical and social threats posed by artificial intelligence. Graham McAleer explains that the Pope uses the biblical image of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel to characterize AI as a manife
Podcast: The John Batchelor ShowPublished On: Fri Aug 14 2026
Description: Graham McAleer: Pope Leo has issued a bold encyclical addressing the ethical and social threats posed by artificial intelligence. Graham McAleer explains that the Pope uses the biblical image of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel to characterize AI as a manifestation of human darkness and godlike pride. A primary concern is the asymmetry of wealth, in which a small, secretive class of Silicon Valley oligarchs controls a technology that operates largely outside state law. While the Church acknowledges AI's potential benefits in medicine and education, it warns that the oligarchic structure of the industry challenges state power and treats users as livestock for data farming. The Pope explicitly calls for government regulation to protect human dignity, yet McAleer notes the fundamental contradiction of expecting the state to control private entities that have already become more powerful than many governments. (5)
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