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Unions and Magnifica Humanitas: A Reference Guide

Brian Pearson
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Magnifica Humanitas
Workers First Initiative on AI

HUMAN DIGNITY AND THE FUTURE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 

On May 25th, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his historic first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas ("The Greatness of Humanity"), addressing artificial intelligence, democracy, labor, and human dignity. He intentionally aligned the release with the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical which established modern Catholic social teaching. Just as Pope Leo XIII addressed the economic upheavals of the Industrial Revolution in defense of exploited factory workers, Leo XIV addresses the "new things" of our digital era: digitization, artificial intelligence, robotics, and growing concentration of technological power.

This papal letter reaches many of the same conclusions as the AFL-CIO’s recently launched Workers First Initiative on AI and its Principles to Protect Workers. Released last October, it is the first comprehensive labor agenda establishing principles on artificial intelligence. The AFL-CIO calls for putting workers at the center of AI development and deployment to the benefit of everyone–not just tech billionaires and corporate interests.

In Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII expressed support for the formation and growth of “workingmen’s union.” Since then, Catholic social teachings have consistently shown support for workers’ rights and labor unions, recognizing our ability to lift the most vulnerable in our society, promote human dignity, and improve labor laws. Magnifica Humanitas contributes to this body of work by calling on our labor movement to evolve:

Labor unions, which the Church has consistently supported, are called upon to be open to new types of employment and the corresponding needs of workers, in order to represent and defend them. In this context, without bold decisions, the prospect of greater poverty and inequality looms large, which would leave many individuals marginalized, stranded and surrounded by the machines and automated systems that have replaced them. [155]

Our movement was built around workplaces, like factories, schools, and offices. But technology has created decentralized forms of labor, like gig workers and other independent contractors. We must begin the work of changing our organizing strategies and bargaining models to bring these non-traditional workers into our movement or risk leaving a massive and growing sector of the workforce unprotected. We must also, as this guide intends to lay out, proactively assert ourselves as leaders in this new industrial revolution. As the papal letter states, “It is not enough to react when jobs disappear, we must oversee the transformation in advance” [156]. As the pace and scale of AI deployment increases, we are called on to take bold and swift action. We must earn our relevance in the digital era. 

This article will serve as a guide on the parallels of Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas and the AFL-CIO’s Principles to Protect Workers. The comparison shows the Vatican and the AFL-CIO believe that artificial intelligence is a product of human choices, and it must be legally and morally governed to serve human dignity, democratic integrity, and the common good.

Labor Unions, New Technology, AI Implementation, Worker Voice, and Collective Bargaining

It should be clear that neither Magnifica Humanitas nor the Principles to Protect Workers explicitly oppose technological advancement. Instead, they argue that the implementation of AI should never be forced upon workers by corporations, governments, or experts without meaningful input from workers and communities. Magnifica Humanitas says that the people most-affected by technological decisions should participate in making those decisions. 

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "The adoption of new technology in a workplace should be negotiated by labor and management to make sure it makes work better, respects labor rights, minimizes harm to the workforce, and is developed and deployed through genuine labor-management collaboration” (Priority 1) 
  • Papal View: "The principle of subsidiarity requires that such processes not be imposed from above in an opaque and unilateral manner, but instead be directed toward the common good with transparency, accountability and meaningful forms of participation." [71] 
  • Papal View: "Communities and intermediary organizations must not be reduced to passive recipients of decisions made elsewhere; they must be able to contribute to discernment and oversight.” [108]

For more than a century, unions have negotiated with their employers over, and among other things, the implementation of new technology. The Principles to Protect Workers identifies collective bargaining as the most effective tool workers have to shape technological change, protect jobs, and ensure AI improves working conditions. The Church has consistently supported labor unions and in Magnifica Humanitas, the Church identifies unions as indispensable institutions that help protect workers’ dignity and rights during periods of economic and technological transformation. Unions are necessary partners in ensuring technology serves workers and society.

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "Technological change must never be shoved down the throats of a workforce or used to undermine the labor rights that built the middle class." [Priority 1]
  • Papal View: "The initiatives which emerged from that tradition [Rerum Novarum], including associations, trade unions, cooperatives and welfare organizations, have contributed decisively to improving labor legislation, protecting the most vulnerable and promoting more humane conditions." [155]
  • Papal View: "Labor unions, which the Church has consistently supported, are called upon to be open to new types of employment and the corresponding needs of workers, in order to represent and defend them." [155]

Human Dignity, Exploitation, Bias, Surveillance, and Control

The Principles to Protect Workers argues that AI should improve jobs and make them safer while preserving employment, economic security, and worker dignity. Crucial to this dignity is maintaining worker autonomy to prevent deskilling. Magnifica Humanitas says that technology is good when it serves human flourishing. It becomes harmful when efficiency and profit are valued above people. Technology should be a tool of progress instead of an instrument of harm.

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "AI systems should not become a tool to jettison millions of workers from their jobs; instead, it should be used to augment and improve job quality." [Priority 2]
  • Papal View: "Without bold decisions, the prospect of greater poverty and inequality looms large, which would leave many individuals marginalized, stranded and surrounded by the machines and automated systems that have replaced them." [155]
  • Papal View: "...current approaches to technology can paradoxically de-skill workers, subject them to automated surveillance and relegate them to rigid and repetitive tasks.” [155]

A central theme in both documents is that technology is not neutral; it reflects the biases, priorities, and cultural assumptions of those who designed and trained it. Additionally, AI systems which measure efficiency or subject workers to surveillance make workers susceptible to exploitation. Both the Principles to Protect Workers and Magnifica Humanitas argue that technology should support workers. The AFL-CIO argues that employers should not use AI to monitor, manipulate, or discipline workers through invasive surveillance systems. Pope Leo XIV goes further to say that AI should never be used to reduce a human being to a data point or productivity score. 

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "AI systems can be used to monitor, evaluate and control workers, often without workers even knowing about it.” [Priority 2]
  • AFL-CIO View: “AI systems may turbocharge bias and discrimination, making existing inequalities worse by using systems that are difficult to detect and challenge.” [Priority 8] 
  • Papal View: “...technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it” [9]
  • Papal View: "Technological innovations, including artificial intelligence, are not neutral, for they can either foster participation and justice or exacerbate inequality, control and exclusion." [85]
  • Papal View: "Current approaches to technology can paradoxically de-skill workers, subject them to automated surveillance and relegate them to rigid and repetitive tasks." [150]

Worker Voice, Creative Industries, Research and Development, and Decision-Making

AI has the potential to eliminate dangerous tasks, improve safety, and expand human capability. But history tells us we cannot rely solely upon the market to get this done. Workers are too often left out of the technology development process despite having first-hand knowledge and experience. The Principles to Protect Workers recognizes that workers possess valuable expertise and should be involved in the development, testing, and implementation of AI. Workers in creative industries must have the right to control how their work, voice, image, and likeness are used. Magnifica Humanitas stresses that the wisdom and experience of working people is necessary to ensure technology serves real human needs.

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "Workers are often left out of the technology development process, despite their expertise and the fact that they're often the end-users." [Priority 5]
  • AFL-CIO: "The reality is that America spends billions in public money to advance innovation—incorporating worker voices and unions into these research initiatives should be a requirement and a national priority." [Priority 5]
  • AFL-CIO View: “Workers in creative industries and sports face the continuing risk of seeing their works, their voices and their likenesses stolen by generative AI. Without protections, AI may upend the livelihoods of professionals who rely on effective copyright and intellectual property rights to earn compensation and benefits, as well as to ensure future career opportunities.” [Priority 3]
  • Papal View: "...local communities, intermediary organizations, schools, universities, religious institutions and associations have a voice and can contribute to the discernment of choices that affect people's daily lives..." [72]
  • Papal View: "Communities and intermediary organizations must not be reduced to passive recipients of decisions made elsewhere…" [108].

Magnifica Humanitas and the Principles to Protect Workers assert that workers should remain at the center of decision making. Workers deserve transparency, due process, and human review of decisions — especially when it comes to hiring, discipline, scheduling, promotion, or termination. Responsibility cannot be delegated to algorithms. Human beings must remain accountable for decisions affecting other people. 

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "Automated decisions must be reviewed by a human, and workers must be given the right to appeal AI-driven decisions." [Priority 2]
  • Papal View: "...responsibility must be clearly defined at every stage…" [105]
  • Papal View: "...accountability becomes crucial…” [105]
  • Papal View: "...it is necessary that decisions be understandable, contestable and subject to oversight…" [165]

AI Training and Reskilling

Technological change can lead to significant shifts in needed job skills. The Principles to Protect Workers says when technology changes jobs, workers deserve retraining, support, and pathways into quality employment. Magnifica Humanitas similarly calls for protecting workers from changing technology, noting that the costs of technological change should not fall solely on workers and families.

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "Joint labor-management partnerships and union-centered, high-quality training programs should be used when developing AI workforce training." [Priority 4]
  • Papal View: "Every introduction of automation and AI should be accompanied by verifiable measures to protect the employment, retraining and participation of workers." [156]
  • Papal View: "We need proactive policies that make continuous training and professional transitions accessible to all." [156]

Protecting Democracy and Human Rights

The impact of artificial intelligence extends beyond the workplace. Both Principles to Protect Workers and Magnifica Humanitas warn of the growing threats to democracy and human rights which come through misinformation and discrimination. AI should not be used to spread misinformation, discriminate against workers, or undermine democratic institutions. Truth, equality, and democratic participation are essential for human dignity and social peace.

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "When algorithmic decision-making systems exclude a person based on their race, gender, age or disability...those uses violate their civil rights and must be barred."[Priority 8]
  • AFL-CIO View: "When AI systems are used to produce misinformation and deepfakes, that undermines elections and our democracy." [Priority 8]
  • Papal View: "The ability to manipulate content, images and videos exposes people to biased or misleading perspectives.” [13]
  • Papal View: "Justice demands that we prevent the emergence of new forms of exclusion and deprivation of freedoms." [80]
  • Papal View: “Tools that could foster dialogue and participation are often used to construct distorted narratives and blur the boundaries between truth and falsehood, mixing facts with opinions.” [132]
  • Papal View: "Indifference to the truth leads, slowly but surely, to a descent into totalitarianism.” [134]

Government Leadership and Power Concentration

A defining element of Principles to Protect Workers and Magnifica Humanitas is that private technology firms will not self-regulate. Instead, both the AFL-CIO and Pope Leo XIV call for legal, state-level intervention, driven by a partnership between organized labor and lawmakers. By specifically naming political leaders alongside labor unions, the encyclical elevates tech governance to a matter of public interest. The Pope positions labor unions not just as defensive shields for workers, but as vital democratic partners who must actively collaborate with lawmakers to develop rapid, effective legal protections to "disarm AI" from corporate interests. The Principles to Protect Workers calls for government procurement standards, meaningful legislative enforcement, and training funding. 

In their words:

  • AFL-CIO View: "Public tax dollars should not be spent on purchasing AI systems that are unsafe, harm public sector workers or reduce the quality of government services." [Priority 7]
  • AFL-CIO: “Public agencies must set the gold standard for responsible AI use, and require that AI systems uphold the public interest and respect workers’ rights, including transparency, privacy, intellectual property rights and civil rights.” [Priority 7]
  • Pope Leo XIV: "States and transnational institutions are called to ensure fair rules and effective safeguards.” [72]
  • Pope Leo XIV: “New collaborative efforts are needed among political leaders, labor organizations, the business world and the scientific community in order to develop rapidly adequate shared regulations and protections, including at the international level” [155]

CONCLUSION

We hoped that when Cardinal Robert Prevost chose the name “Leo,” it was a deliberate sign of commitment to Pope Leo XIII and his foundational role in shaping modern Catholic social teachings—including its enduring commitment to labor rights. Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas confirms that hope. In a moment defined by widening income and wealth inequality, Pope Leo XIV is speaking directly to the needs of our time.

As Magnifica Humanitas says, we cannot simply react to technological change—we must ensure it strengthens human dignity and the dignity of work through it. The labor movement has faced moments like this before. During the Industrial Revolution, workers organized to demand safe jobs, fair wages, and basic dignity on the job as new technologies transformed our economy. Today, the AI revolution presents a similar test. Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve lives, reduce dangerous work, and expand human capacity. But that promise will only be realized if workers have real power to shape how these technologies are designed, deployed, and governed. The future of AI cannot be imposed on workers—it must be built with them.

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These conversations are already taking shape in Northeast Ohio, where the North Shore AFL-CIO is helping lead the way. When the Federation convened earlier this year for the “Workers First Initiative on AI,” we were one of the first labor organizations in the nation to do so. The event was held in partnership with Case Western Reserve University and Brown University and brought academics as well as researchers, lawmakers, and community stakeholders to the table. Building on that work, and supported by grant funding, we are now conducting research on the development and deployment of artificial intelligence in Cleveland, with the goal of contributing to the growing body of research on AI in the workplace.