Call for Papers

Artificial Intelligence, Human Dignity, and the Common Good: Reflections Inspired by the Encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” of Pope Leo XIV

Editors: Fábio Maia Bertato, Itala Maria Loffredo D’Ottaviano, and Gesiel Borges da Silva

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming virtually every dimension of contemporary human life. Work, education, communication, healthcare, politics, economics, culture, and even interpersonal relationships increasingly incorporate AI systems that are reshaping how human beings understand themselves and organize social life. These transformations raise not only technical and economic issues, but also deep philosophical, ethical, anthropological, political, and cultural challenges.

In this context, the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas of Pope Leo XIV offers a broad reflection on human dignity, the common good, technological development, and the future of humanity in the age of AI. Although rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, the encyclical deliberately addresses issues that matter to humanity as a whole, engaging concerns that transcend confessional boundaries. Its central thesis is simple yet profound: technological development must remain ordered toward the human person and the integral flourishing of the human family.

Inspired by this proposal, the editors of this volume invite scholars to submit contributions to an interdisciplinary collection to be published in the CLE Book Series. The aim of the volume is to promote rigorous academic dialogue on the ethical, philosophical, social, and cultural implications of AI, taking the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas as a starting point for critical and constructive reflection.

The project is explicitly interdisciplinary and open to dialogue among different intellectual, philosophical, scientific, and cultural traditions. Contributions are welcome from philosophy, theology, computer science, law, economics, sociology, history, political theory, education, cognitive science, logic, communication studies, and related fields. The volume seeks to bring together diverse perspectives—religious and non-religious, theistic and secular—in a rigorous examination of the ethical, anthropological, and social challenges posed by AI. Agreement with the theses of Magnifica Humanitas is not presupposed; on the contrary, critical, comparative, and constructive approaches are equally encouraged, provided they are developed with scholarly rigor and serious engagement with the text and its central concerns.

At the same time, submissions should engage explicitly with Magnifica Humanitas. The volume is not intended to be merely a generic collection on AI ethics, but rather a genuine academic conversation inspired by the questions, concerns, and proposals advanced in the encyclical.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Human dignity in the age of AI 

• AI and the common good

• The uses of AI in science

• Ethical regulation and governance of AI

• Algorithmic fairness, accountability, and transparency in AI 

• AI, labor, and social transformation 

• Surveillance, freedom, and human responsibility 

• AI and education 

• AI and the contemporary crisis of meaning 

• Philosophical, religious, and cultural perspectives on AI 

• AI, transhumanism, and posthumanism 

The volume aims to constitute a significant international contribution to the growing global debate on AI and the future of humanity, bringing together works that combine conceptual rigor with broad cultural relevance.

The collection will be published in both Portuguese and English, with open-access digital availability. Selected papers may also be considered for translation in the future, thereby expanding their international reach and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue.

We especially encourage contributions that combine analytical clarity, conceptual depth, interdisciplinary openness, and attention to the concrete challenges of the contemporary world.

At a time marked by technological transformations advancing more rapidly than our collective capacity for ethical reflection, this volume seeks to contribute to a renewed discussion of the meaning of the human person, the limits of technology, and the responsibilities associated with scientific and technological power. Ultimately, the central question guiding this project is not merely what AI can do, but what kind of humanity ought to guide its development.

We invite scholars from Brazil and around the world to participate in this broad, urgent, and necessary reflection.

Submission Guidelines

Original articles in English or Portuguese are invited on the theme Artificial Intelligence, Human Dignity, and the Common Good: Reflections Inspired by the Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas of Pope Leo XIV.

• Length: 20,000 to 50,000 characters (including spaces).

• Format: DOC or DOCX.

• Articles Articles should be prepared for blind-review and should include title, abstract, keywords, and references (ABNT or Chicago style).

• In a separate file, please provide the author's name, institutional affiliation, ORCID, and e-mail address.

Submission e-mail: fbertato@unicamp.br
Subject line: Submission - Magnifica Humanitas [Author’s Last Name]
Deadline: November 1, 2026.