Did the Pope use AI to write about the dangers of AI? | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Did the Pope use AI to write about the dangers of AI?NotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...AICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AINewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsDid the Pope use AI to write about the dangers of AI?Analyses have determined that parts of the Magnifica Humanitas appear to have been written by AI.Analyses have determined that parts of the Magnifica Humanitas appear to have been written by AI.by Jay PetersCloseJay PetersSenior ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay Peters and Hayden FieldCloseHayden FieldSenior AI ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Hayden FieldMay 27, 2026, 12:38 AM UTCLinkShareGiftGetty ImagesIt’s possible that AI was used to write parts of Pope Leo XIV’s latest encyclical about AI’s impact on humanity. An analysis by Linch Zhang posted on the forum LessWrong found certain paragraphs of Magnifica Humanitas to be between 40 percent and 100 percent written by AI, according to the popular AI detector Pangram.The document includes known traits that appear in AI-generated writing, such as a higher use of the word “genuinely” — which crops up in writing by Anthropic’s Claude — than previous encyclicals, Zhang says. Another person ran the text of the document section by section through Pangram, finding that 62 percent of its first chapter was flagged as AI generated. When The Verge ran roughly 2,000 words of the document through Pangram, it estimated that 46 percent was AI-written.AI detection isn’t foolproofStill, other portions register as being written by humans. Zhang notes that Pangram flagged some sections as “essentially 0% AI.” The first 20 paragraphs of the last four encyclicals, when run through Pangram, had a 100 percent confidence of being human written. And a transcript of Pope Leo’s speech, run through Pangram, was also rated as 100 percent human.AI detection isn’t foolproof. Different AI detectors can display different results, and even when there’s consensus there’s no guarantee they’re correct. But Pangram is generally respected among AI researchers. In March 2025, Pangram said it estimated its false positive rate of reporting human-written work as AI-generated “to be approximately 1 in 10,000.”Encyclicals are lengthy letters published by the pope, meant to impart teachings that address important moral and social challenges of the time, according to The New York Times. This encyclical is the pope’s first, with the most recent one written by Pope Francis in October 2024. It’s also the first to focus on AI and its wide-ranging influences, with Pope Leo notably presenting it alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic.The Vatican didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jay PetersCloseJay PetersSenior ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay PetersHayden FieldCloseHayden FieldSenior AI ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Hayden FieldAICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AINewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsMost PopularMost PopularFerrari reveals its first EV, with design help from Jony IveJony Ive’s Ferrari looks nothing like a FerrariUber president says AI spending is getting ‘harder to justify’Sennheiser’s new Momentum 5 headphones have upgraded ANC and a replaceable batteryNvidia has retired its GeForce Control Panel app after 20 yearsThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Analyses have been conducted to determine if parts of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, were generated by artificial intelligence. According to an analysis posted by Linch Zhang on the LessWrong forum, certain paragraphs within the document were found to be written by AI, with the popular AI detector Pangram being utilized for this assessment. Zhang reported that some sections of the encyclical exhibited characteristics commonly found in AI-generated writing, specifically noting a higher usage of the word “genuinely,” a feature observed in writing produced by Anthropic’s Claude, compared to previous encyclicals. Further examination by another researcher revealed that sixty-two percent of the first chapter of the document was flagged as AI generated. Moreover, when The Verge subjected approximately two thousand words of the document to the Pangram detector, the estimation indicated that forty-six percent of that text was written by AI.

Despite these findings, the text emphasizes that AI detection mechanisms are not infallible. Zhang noted that Pangram flagged some sections as essentially zero percent AI-generated, indicating that human-written portions were also present. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated that some segments register as being written by humans, and the first twenty paragraphs of the last four encyclicals, along with a transcript of Pope Leo’s speech, were rated by Pangram as one hundred percent human written. This discrepancy highlights the complexity of automated detection, as different AI detectors can yield varied results, and consensus does not guarantee absolute accuracy.

The encyclical itself is significant as it represents the pope’s initial focus on the wide-ranging influences of artificial intelligence. Pope Leo presented this work alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, underscoring the topic's importance. Encyclicals are lengthy documents intended to articulate teachings addressing significant moral and social issues of the time, with the most recent one authored by Pope Francis in October 2024.