Pope Leo's writings certified human after AI accusation

A collection of Pope Leo XIV's writings has been officially certified as human-authored by Proudly Human, an Australian company, following accusations that parts of his anti-AI encyclical were generated by artificial intelligence. The certification covers Maps of Hope, a book of reflections on education and AI, published shortly after his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas warned of AI's threats Source: The Guardian.

The controversy

After the encyclical's release, AI researcher Linch Zhang argued that elements such as frequent em dashes and rhetorical triads suggested AI involvement, possibly via Anthropic's Claude Source: The Next Web. Pangram Labs flagged some passages as AI-generated, though the Vatican never confirmed the claims Source: Gizmodo.

The certification process

Proudly Human, led by Australia's former chief scientist Alan Finkel, verified the text using a suite of four or five AI detectors plus an averaging algorithm Source: The Guardian. Authors must pass an ID check and declare no AI was used for drafts or sentences Source: The Next Web. The company's verdict: "basically purely human" Source: The Guardian.

Divergent views

Critics note that AI detection is unreliable; detectors can disagree or falsely flag human text Source: The Next Web. The Atlantic has warned against over-trusting such tools. However, Finkel argues that absent regulation, certifications offer readers "a fundamental right" to know authorship, especially for religious figures Source: The Guardian.