The direct nature of Pope Leo XIV's AI encyclical took some of his colleagues by surprise: as an AI expert Franciscan friar who has advised the Vatican says, ‘Papal documents usually speak in principles; this one names the structural problem — computational power is concentrated in the hands of a few private actors who answer to no democratic process’. The jury is still out on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on human employment, but a cartoon from Private Eye (see our commentary webpage) resonates closely with Standard Chartered's announcement that it will use AI to replace 'lower-value human capital', with about 7,800 back-office roles to be cut by 2030. Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny. Image source: Wikipedia

Published: Mon 1 June 2026