Magnifica Humanitas and the legal governance of artificial intelligence Human dignity, public truth and disinformation in a critical dialogue with European digital law
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Abstract
ope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas constitutes a significant contribution to the debate on artificial intelligence, human dignity and disinformation. Although it is rooted in the tradition of the Church’s Social Doctrine, its content offers useful insights for digital law and the democratic governance of emerging technologies. This article analyses its contributions regarding technological power, public truth, digital platforms, critical literacy and algorithmic accountability. It also compares its recommendations with the Digital Services Regulation, the Artificial Intelligence Regulation and the literature on hybrid threats. It is argued that the Encyclical provides a valuable anthropological foundation, but one that is not fully equivalent to the European legal approach based on risk, proportionality and the internal market. Consequently, dialogue between these two spheres requires identifying not only points of convergence, but also regulatory tensions and the limits of legal translation.
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