Applying Pope Leo’s AI wisdom to Public Policy in Minnesota

Pope Leo XIV has been focusing much of his magisterium on the application of Catholic social teaching to public life. On Aug. 21, Pope Leo XIV spoke to a group of Catholic legislators from around the world about artificial intelligence (AI). He warned that AI risks becoming a “Tower of Babel, where power, efficiency and control obscure the face of the human person.” He urged legislators to be proactive in crafting policies that prioritize the dignity of the human person above all.

Although the Church does not offer specific policy prescriptions for every situation, Pope Leo reminded legislators that the principles of the Church’s social doctrine “provide(s) the sure criteria for discernment.”

Rooted in these principles, Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) has been influential in shaping AI policy in our state and intends to continue doing so. In the 2026 legislative session, MCC supported four landmark measures: 1) social media legislation to protect children from addictive, AI-fueled algorithms; 2) a requirement for human review of adverse health insurance coverage decisions; 3) a ban on the recreational use of chatbots by minors; and 4) a temporary moratorium on AI data centers.

Protecting kids from AI-fueled algorithms

MCC spearheaded legislation that was ultimately enacted to require parental approval for social media accounts for children under 16. It also removes the AI-fueled algorithms that keep kids glued to screens instead of playing with friends. As Pope Leo writes in paragraph 142 of his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” “interventions by legislators are appropriate for setting age limits, holding service providers accountable rather than shifting the whole burden of control onto families, and for providing specific protections against all forms of online sexual exploitation and violence.”

Keeping humans at the center of healthcare decisions

MCC helped pass a bill requiring human review of adverse health insurance coverage decisions. Such important decisions should not be made solely based on data points analyzed by AI. Doing so depersonalizes the human-centered care that all have the right to receive. The Vatican document “Antiqua Nova” affirms this principle: “decisions regarding patient treatment and the weight of responsibility they entail must always remain with the human person and should never be delegated to AI.”

Banning chatbots for minors

MCC testified in support of a bill that would restrict minors’ access to AI chatbots. Talking to AI chatbots instead of family and friends can further isolate children by diverting their attention from real-life relationships and emotional intimacy. In January of this year, Pope Leo spoke to this, saying, “Appropriate regulation can protect individuals from forming emotional attachments to chatbots and curb the spread of false, manipulative or misleading content, safeguarding the integrity of information as opposed to its deceptive simulation.”

Imposing a temporary moratorium on data centers

MCC lobbied for a bill to impose a temporary moratorium on the construction of data centers in Minnesota to allow time to complete an assessment of their impact on energy prices, water consumption, local communities and the environment. Data centers place enormous demands on energy, water and land. In many cases, communities are asked to absorb these costs before the full picture is clear. “Antiqua Nova” also speaks to this problem: “Considering the heavy toll these technologies take on the environment, it is vital to develop sustainable solutions that reduce their impact on our common home.”

Get involved with AI legislation

We will leave you with a relevant question from Pope Leo himself: “Every technological achievement also confronts humanity with a moral question: not merely what can we do, but what ought we to do?”

We invite you to visit our “Pope Leo on Politics” webpage at mncatholic.org/popeleoonpolitics. In this free resource, MCC aggregates important addresses and writings from the Holy Father on politics, faithful citizenship and pressing policy matters, including the need for legislation related to technological change.

We also encourage you to sign up for the Catholic Advocacy Network. Receive our newsletter and action alerts, which help bridge the gap between faith and politics. Sign up at mncatholic.org.

Inside the Capitol is a legislative update from Minnesota Catholic Conference staff.