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Pope Leo XIV is warning that the artificial intelligence race could become a new Tower of Babel — a dazzling human achievement that concentrates power, weakens truth and turns people into data points.

Why it matters: The long-awaited document, Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity"), signals that the Vatican is aggressively positioning itself as a central moral authority in the global tech debate.

Driving the news: The Vatican released Leo's first encyclical on Monday, which he signed at St. Peter's on May 15, 2026, in the second year of his pontificate.

It was signed exactly 135 years after Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum, the landmark 1891 encyclical that became the foundation of modern Catholic social teaching during the Industrial Revolution.

Zoom in: The pope's core message in his stark, 43,000-word warning is that AI can be useful, but it is not neutral. 

He said AI systems carry the values of the people and institutions that design, finance, train and deploy them — especially when they decide who gets a job, credit, public services or reputational standing.

AI can erode human judgment by offering instant answers that weaken creativity, discernment and the patience needed to seek truth.

AI can simulate care without relationship, making vulnerable users mistake artificial empathy for genuine human connection.

AI can deepen inequality because data, computing power and regulatory influence are concentrated among a small number of actors.

AI can destabilize democracy by amplifying disinformation and blurring the line between fact and fiction.

AI can make war easier by speeding up lethal decisions and distancing humans from responsibility. Leo's starkest line: "No algorithm can make war morally acceptable."

What they're saying: "Pope Leo has announced himself as one of the leading figures in AI ethics now with this document," Meghan Sullivan, director of Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, tells Axios.

Sullivan said Leo's AI encyclical is likely to be remembered as one of the major documents in Catholic history.

Mirela Oliva, a philosophy professor at the University of St. Thomas, tells Axios that Leo's encyclical should be read less as a rejection of AI than as a call to shape the "AI era" around human dignity.

"The pope is calling for new guidelines for AI, and these new guidelines are rather to be developed from the bottom up rather than top down."

What we're watching: Dan Rober, a Catholic Studies professor at Sacred Heart University, tells Axios the encyclical's biggest impact may be whether Leo's language starts shaping AI regulation debates.

Rober said that Leo's warnings about children, screens, AI platforms and people using chatbots as therapists or substitutes for friendship could resonate well beyond Catholic circles.

Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity")

5 ways Pope Leo says AI could warp humanity

Why the Pope wants to slow down AI development.

Pope Leo in a white liturgical robe and a blue-and-gold mitre, seated on a throne with beige cushions; cream curtains behind.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates the Holy Mass in Piazza Bartolo Longo, in front of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary. Photo: Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

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2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

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From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

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America's fastest-growing religious group is also one of the hardest — and costliest — to reach: the "nones."

Why it matters: Religiously unaffiliated Americans now make up a large and growing share of the electorate. But without church-based networks, they're significantly more expensive for campaigns to reach and mobilize.

"Nones" are geographically and socially dispersed.

Campaigns must rely on costly digital ads, canvassing and persuasion to reach them.

By the numbers: A record 29% of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated — the largest single religious cohort, surpassing Catholics (19%) and evangelical Protestants (23%), per Pew Research Center.

Among Gen Z, it's even higher: Roughly 4 in 10 adults ages 18–29 are unaffiliated, according to the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).

About one-third of Democrats and independents identify as nonreligious, vs. roughly 13% of Republicans, per PRRI.

Zoom in: In some of the country's most secular regions — including Seattle, Portland and parts of New England — "nones" now rival or exceed Christians as a share of the population.

Colorado's large unaffiliated population has also pushed campaigns toward issue-based appeals — like abortion rights, climate and housing — over faith-based messaging.

Yes, but: Not all "nones" are alike — they include "spiritual but not religious" voters, atheists and agnostics.

The broader unaffiliated group is less likely to vote than religious Americans when controlling for age and education, previous studies show.

But atheists and agnostics — a more engaged subset — are about 30% more likely to turn out than the average religious voter.

Friction point: Campaigns spent about $1.40 per nonreligious voter versus roughly 45 cents per religiously affiliated voter in 2024, Sisto Abeyta, a Democratic consultant with the Nevada-based firm TriStrategies, tells Axios.

Candidates can reach through existing mailing lists or megachurch coffee shops, Abeyta said. Nonreligious voters, however, have to be sought.

"For religious voters, all I have to do is send a mailer and say I believe in God and apple pie," Abeyta said. "For nonreligious voters, I need to send a list of issues with links so they can verify and be ready for questions. It's time-consuming and costs more."

Yes, but: "When a candidate includes 'people of no faith,' that spreads like wildfire," Steven Emmert, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America, tells Axios.

Emmert argues that secular voters are often highly engaged and quick to respond when candidates simply acknowledge them.

Zoom out: The rise of the "nones" reflects a broader decline in traditional civic institutions — from churches to labor unions — that once made political organizing cheaper and easier.

As those networks fade, campaigns increasingly have to buy attention through ads and outreach.

This forces democracy into a pay-to-play model where only the most well-funded campaigns can afford to "buy" the attention of the unattached.

The bottom line:  As the "nones" grow, campaigns face a paradox: a key voting bloc that's harder — and more expensive — to mobilize.

Campaigns pay the price for America's secular shift

Politics after the decline of church life.

Illustration of two voting booths. One booth has light shining down on it from above. The other, in darkness, has the word "NONE" on the side instead of "VOTE."

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Election results & voting

U.S. politics & policy

Americans feeling pinched financially are splurging on small treats while economic anxiety and inflation jitters put off larger purchases. 

Why it matters: From movie tickets to collectible watches, those affordable indulgences are helping sustain consumer spending.

The economy remains in what some economists call a "vibecession," where consumers feel relatively stable personally while pessimistic about the broader economy.

Consumers feel caught between a "combination of rising inflation, slowing after-tax real incomes, and rising credit card debt," Wayne Winegarden, a senior fellow in business and economics at Pacific Research Institute, tells Axios.

In a K-shaped economy, the wealthy can still indulge while lower-income consumers pull back and sate themselves with smaller purchases, economists say.

State of play:  Winegarden expects lower-income households to opt for movies or staycations this Memorial Day weekend as economic conditions tighten.

Theaters have a national ticket average of $10.75 and $14–$20 for IMAX and premium formats, per LatestCost estimates, making them a wallet-friendly splurge.

Movies are also leaning into premium experiences to give visitors more for their dollar, Kent Fung, vice president at Fundstrat Global Advisors, wrote in a note.

Yes, but: At the higher end of the market, Fung noted "one theater chain quickly sold out of eyepoppingly expensive $50 tickets for a premium opening-night experience" to see the upcoming "Dune: Part Three."

Other vibecession winners include food-delivery services like DoorDash, which reported a 27% year-over-year increase in orders in the first quarter.

Hobbies and collectibles are in demand — notably a limited-edition, pop art-inspired pocket watch that drew large crowds to Swatch stores in New York, the United Kingdom and France.

Zoom out: Economists have often referred to small splurges in tough economic times as the "lipstick index," and personal care products are seeing a boost from consumers' anxieties. 

L'Oréal, the world's largest beauty company and owner of high-end brands such as YSL Beauty and Urban Decay, reported that first-quarter beauty product sales rose 6.7%.

Affordable luxury fashion and accessories are selling well. Sofia Baig, a senior economist at Morning Consult, tells Axios that households with incomes over $100,000 increased spending on apparel by 16% over the past six months, while those earning less than $50,000 cut it by 6%.

What we're watching: Rising oil prices tied to the Iran conflict are threatening to hit summer travel as jet fuel and gas prices remain elevated in an energy crisis experts warn could last months.

For now, travel spending remains strong across the board, Baig says.

Zoom in: Morning Consult's Consumer Health Index indicates that high-income consumers' spending has retreated somewhat since the Iran war triggered a gas price spike. 

However, it remains "elevated historically" among this demographic, Baig says.

Pacific Research Institute analysis released after the Consumer Price Index rose 3.8% in the 12 months through April shows that if current levels persist, it would cost families an extra $1,100-plus in annual energy expenditure in 2026 compared to the same period last year.

Go deeper: Early signs of consumer angst in April's retail sales report

Watches, movies and burrito taxis fuel small vibecession splurges

Americans are spending more on small luxuries despite rising economic anxiety and inflation concerns.

Illustration of a hand holding a tiny golden shopping basket

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

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2028

Axios 2028

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of most influential leaders in the progressive movement, is being publicly and privately courted by Democrats eyeing presidential bids in 2028 — a sign they're trying to build up their lefty credentials.

Why it matters: Progressives are on the rise in the party, and Warren is a key ally to have. She lost her bid for the White House in 2020 but played a major role in shaping Joe Biden's presidency by installing her allies in his administration. 

Her moves haven't been without controversy. Some centrist Democrats worry that Warren has helped pushed the party too far to the left.

Zoom in: Now, Warren's working to put her stamp on the 2028 Democratic primary. She met privately with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for tea this month and has a texting relationship with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Axios has learned. 

Both potential contenders for president are more moderate than Warren, a frequent target of President Trump and conservatives because of her push for consumer protections and corporate regulation.

Warren also has been talking with former Biden and Obama officials about how a future Democratic president could reshape the federal government in light of Trump's DOGE cuts, a person familiar with the discussions told us.

Newsom took a major step to woo Warren World when he tapped one of the senator's protégés, Rohit Chopra, to lead a new consumer agency in California this month. 

A few months earlier, Warren had been spotted at a restaurant with Newsom in San Francisco.

Warren's relationship with Newsom's circle goes back years: His wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, endorsed Warren for president in 2020.

Warren likewise has teamed up with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow progressive and potential 2028 contender, on policy.

In February, AOC became the House co-lead on a bill by Warren aimed at implementing universal child care.

What they're saying: In an interview with Axios, Warren praised Beshear's efforts to expand pre-K access in his state. She said that during their meeting, they discussed the prospect of universal pre-K at the federal level.

"He talked about the difference it would make for families in Kentucky," she said. "I leaned back and thought: 'This is someone who gets it. He's not checking the box.'"

Warren also had warm words for AOC — saying that she "does the hard work and digs deep on policy" — and praised Newsom's work to expand free pre-K in California.

The other side: Liam Kerr, co-founder of the center-left WelcomePAC, expressed dismay that potential presidential candidates are meeting with Warren.

"Elizabeth Warren literally hired 1,000 people for her presidential campaign, got 7% in South Carolina, and then seemingly hired 1,000 people into the Biden administration," he said.

"Not sure which of those three [things] candidates want advice on, but hopefully not the last one," Kerr added.

Zoom out: Besides meeting with potential 2028ers, Warren has been making a push to shape the next presidential primary — and has suggested there's one potential 2028er she's less pleased with.

At a summit held by the liberal group Center for American Progress in D.C. last week, Warren argued that 2028 Democratic hopefuls should make child care a priority.

In another speech this year, she criticized former Vice President Harris' lukewarm approach to ex-Federal Trade Commission chair and Warren ally Lina Khan in the 2024 campaign.

At the time, some Democratic donors were urging Harris to fire Khan, saying Khan's aggressive push against monopolies was too anti-business.

"To her credit, the vice president didn't promise to fire Lina Khan," Warren said at the time. "But she didn't promise not to fire her, either."

Scoop: Dems eyeing 2028 bids court Warren

Progressives are on the rise in the party, and Warren is a key ally to have.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren points while talking during a hearing.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioning Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh in a hearing last month. Photo: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Elections 2024

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she hasn't decided whether to run for president, but the New York congresswoman is making new moves toward a possible White House bid.

Ocasio-Cortez launched a national tour in recent weeks — without calling it one.

Why it matters: Whether AOC jumps into the race is one of the biggest X factors in the 2028 Democratic primary.

Democratic operatives expect she would easily raise $100 million just from small-dollar donors, mobilize many supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' past campaigns, and command attention as few other candidates could.

Driving the news:  Just in May, Ocasio-Cortez has:

Rallied voters in Philadelphia for a left-wing congressional candidate in a competitive primary.

Spoken at a rally in Montgomery, Ala., about voting rights.

Addressed the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. (Democrats note that Warnock, the church's senior pastor, doesn't always allow visiting politicians to speak at this church. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg didn't speak when he visited in March.)

Met with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter at the King Center in Atlanta to talk about data centers and voting rights.

Visited Morehouse School of Medicine, also in Atlanta, to discuss Black maternal health.

Rolled out several endorsements in races across the country.

This week, Ocasio-Cortez will travel to Missoula, Mont., to campaign for congressional candidate Sam Forstag, a smokejumper and union leader who spoke at a rally with AOC and Sanders last year.

AOC also has raised eyebrows by attending meetings with Democratic Party powerbrokers.

In April, she attended the Power Rising Summit in Chicago — an event that bills itself as "a space for Black women to turn power into action and create an actionable agenda to be implemented in their communities, and nationally."

The summit was founded by influential Democratic operative Leah Daughtry.

Between the lines: It's not just where Ocasio-Cortez is going, it's what she's saying that signals her ambitions go well beyond her New York City district.

During her speech in Philadelphia, she approvingly quoted an activist who recently said that "MAGA is the last dying breath of the confederacy."

She added: "In response to a confederacy, we have this moment here of liberation, abolition, and revival of the values that make this country actually great."

She also waxed poetic about how the "founding of our nation introduced a radical new idea into the world that all people were created equal."

At Ebenezer Baptist Church, Ocasio-Cortez brought the congregation to its feet when she said, "I'm here today, brothers and sisters, with a simple message: We stand together and we are not going back."

She continued: "What happens in Georgia happens to New York, what happens to Tennessee happens to California, what happens to Louisiana happens to all of us, Ebenezer, because this is America. We are not divided by state, we are united by our humanity and common citizenship."

The other side: Ocasio-Cortez recently said that speculation about her running for president assumes that her "ambition is positional," but "my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country."

A person close to AOC told Axios that she is still genuinely undecided on whether to run for president. She's also considering a Senate bid in 2028.

"The way she will evaluate the decision is really around where she believes she can make the most change," the source said.

Ocasio-Cortez also is skeptical of early 2028 primary polls that are positive for her, including one this month showing her first among possible contenders, the source added.

Flashback: Presidential politics have a long history of potential candidates denying White House ambitions only to reverse course.

In January 2006, then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said: "I will serve out my full six-year term." Pressed on whether he would run for president or vice president in 2008, he said: "I will not."

Ten months later, Obama said that "given the responses that I've been getting over the last several months, I have thought about the possibility" of running for president.

In 1990, then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton also committed to serving for four years, and said only "a plane crash or something" would prevent that.

After a listening tour through Arkansas in 1991, he changed his mind — and won the presidency in 1992.

AOC takes more steps toward 2028 run for president

Whether AOC jumps into the race is one of the biggest X factors in the 2028 Democratic primary.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks to reporters carrying several microphones

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking to reporters outside the Capitol on Thursday. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

President Trump told leaders of several Arab and other Muslim countries during a Saturday conference call that if a deal to end the Iran war is achieved, then he wants their nations to sign peace agreements with Israel, per two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the call. 

Why it matters: Trump's remarks on Israel during the call signal the next big step he wants to take in the Middle East after the war. 

Trump is aiming mostly at a historic Saudi-Israeli peace agreement, but the current political climate in the region and the upcoming Israeli election make any near-term breakthrough extremely difficult. 

Driving the news: On Saturday, Trump held a phone call with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to discuss the emerging deal with Iran.

The leaders, including UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, who has taken a more hawkish view on the Iran war, said they support it.

"They all said, 'We are with you on this deal. And if it doesn't work, we will be with you too,'" a U.S. official said.

Behind the scenes: A U.S. official with knowledge of the conversation said Trump told the leaders that he would call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next and stressed that he hoped that in the near future Israel's leader would be on the same call.

Trump told the leaders that after the war with Iran, he expects all of them who are still not part of the Abraham Accords or don't have peace agreements with Israel to join and normalize relations with the Jewish state, two U.S. officials said. 

The leaders, especially those of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan who don't have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, were surprised by Trump's request. "There was silence on the line, and Trump joked and asked if they are still there," one of the U.S. officials said. 

Trump then told the leaders that his envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will follow up on this issue in the coming weeks.

What they are saying: "I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. 

He floated the idea of Iran joining the Abraham Accords one day. It would require Tehran to recognize Israel, something it has refused to do for decades. The current Iranian regime sees Israel as an enemy and is committed to its destruction. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who criticized the emerging deal with Iran and is a leading force in Congress for the expansion of the Abraham Accords, wrote on X on Sunday that he supports Trump's request to the Arab and other Muslim leaders.

"If in fact as a result of these negotiations to end the Iranian conflict, our Arab and Muslim allies in the region agreed to join the Abraham Accords, it would make this agreement one of the most consequential in the history of the Middle East," he said.

Graham called on Saudi Arabia and other countries to adhere to Trump's request. "If you refuse to go down this path as suggested by President Trump, it will have severe repercussions for our future relationships and make this peace proposal unacceptable. Further, it would be seen by history as a major miscalculation," he wrote.

Yes, but: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had expressed willingness to normalize relations with Israel, but over the past year he has cooled down on this issue. 

Trump asked Prince Mohammed to join the Abraham Accords during their Oval Office meeting last November. The Saudi crown prince pushed back, and the meeting got tense.

The Iran war and Saudi Arabia's rift with the UAE have pushed the kingdom to take a more skeptical and tough position toward Israel's far-right government.

Saudi officials still demand that Israel commit to an irreversible and time-bound path for a Palestinian state as a condition for them to normalize relations. The Israeli government refuses this. 

Israeli and U.S. officials think Riyadh will not take any steps on this issue ahead of Israel's elections planned for September and before it sees which government is sworn in. 

Trump asked Muslim leaders to join Abraham Accords after Iran war ends

Trump urged leaders of several Arab and other Muslim countries to sign onto the Abraham Accords during a call.

Two men in a formal meeting sit on gold-trimmed chairs across a table; one in a blue suit with pink tie, the other in traditional Arab attire with a red-and-white keffiyeh; US and Saudi flags behind.

President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last year. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images 

Donald Trump

Geopolitics & international conflict

Iran

The White House doesn't expect an agreement to end the war with Iran Sunday and thinks it could take several days for the deal's approval by Iran's leadership, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, a senior U.S. official said in a briefing with reporters. 

Why it matters: While U.S. officials are optimistic that a deal will be signed within days, they also acknowledge it has not been finalized and could still fall apart. "We are in a very good place — but there are ways in which the deal can be undermined," a senior U.S. official said.

The deal would avoid an escalation of the war and decrease the pressure on the global oil supply. However, it's unclear whether it will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses President Trump's nuclear demands.

Trump told his "representatives not to rush into a deal" with Iran, he announced Sunday on Truth Social, saying "both sides must take their time and get it right."

He said the U.S. naval blockade will "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed."

State of play: The senior Trump administration official said there are still details "to work out," but the "slow and opaque" nature of Iran's decision-making system could delay an agreement by another few days.

"There is still back and forth on specific details. Some words we care about, Some words they care about," the U.S. official said.

"Our understanding is that the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has endorsed the broad template of the deal. Whether this becomes an agreement is still an open question," the official added. 

The other side: Iran's state media on Sunday accused the U.S. of "creating obstacles" in the negotiations. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Iran is "ready to reassure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons" but stressed negotiators "will not compromise when it comes to our country's honor and dignity."

Zoom in: The U.S. official said the draft agreement opens up the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade. While the strait opens and the global economy gets "breathing room," the parties would negotiate limitations on Iran's nuclear program. 

White House says Iran deal could take days

The deal still needs approval from Iran's supreme leader.

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