Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Pope Leo XIV recently led the commentary world with two epic essays on AI and geopolitics.
Their collective influence has increased the prominence of a form of debate that is in direct contrast to the social media era. The masterpieces are 5,000 and 42,000 words in length, respectively, and are designed to provide foundational arguments about the evolving forces shaping our world.
Mr Blair’s initiative sparked a flurry of reactions in Britain, with some ambitious politicians issuing 1,000-word rebuttals. Mr Blair then published a lengthy follow-up article in the weekend newspapers.
Regarding Pope Leo’s interventions, papal encyclicals have a long tradition of providing commentary on important subjects. This gives the current pope the opportunity to refer to the work of his predecessor throughout the papal documents. He steadily builds his case through research on AI and its implications, pointing to the legacy and mechanics of previous documents from the Vatican.
For this reason, Pope Leo’s initiative is both an internal discussion and a contribution to the world. He makes this clear in his encyclical, in which he speaks of the work of the state and the church as separate considerations.
Mr Blair’s work is also internal and external, in that his main audience is members of Britain’s governing Labor Party. His overall vision is about the impact of technological innovation on the country.
The important paragraphs of both works line up well and are worth quoting from both. Pope Leo wrote: “The power and pervasiveness of emerging technologies is woven into the fabric of everyday life, shaping decision-making processes and deeply influencing our collective imagination. Never before have humans had so much power over themselves.”
Meanwhile, Britain’s former leader gave a similarly wide-ranging summation: “The development of artificial intelligence… will change everything. I mean everything. There is no point in debating whether this technological revolution is a good or bad thing. Just know that it is a ‘thing’. In fact, it is a ‘thing’. It will kill jobs, it will create new jobs, but no one knows the full consequences yet. Businesses and countries will rise or fall with it. It will revolutionize the private sector, and it will soon revolutionize public services and government. ”
Reactions to their contributions to public attitudes have ranged from trying to poke holes in what is deemed most important in shaping the future, to trying to find hidden hands. Some of this blame is directed specifically at tech giants.
The headline read, “Anthropik and Pope’s partnership on AI damage: All good intentions or ‘Vatican washing’?” guardian. This was for an event where Pope Leo gave a speech. Magnifica Humanitas The encyclical was attended by Chris Olah, co-founder of Anthropic.
Silicon Valley strutted into the landscape that both men had tried to paint, and then became a tool for skeptics to reach out to undermine the central argument. Anthropic’s refusal to allow the U.S. Department of Defense to lift restrictions on its use of its AI model, Claude, has given the company extra reserves to develop intelligence science while retaining the ultimate human element.
Meanwhile, Mr. Blair was depicted in a caricature with the logo of a Silicon Valley sponsor. This prompted a rebuttal over the weekend to defend the message. “The reason I think we are living in an AI-driven 21st century technological revolution is not because my lab has been acquired by tech bros, but because I am studying what is happening and am struck by its implications,” he said.
Current British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has shown no appetite for Blair’s intervention. He disputed accusations that he lacked a breakthrough drive to push the country toward change. His essay, published in Substack, reminded Mr Blair that he won the election to halt the spiral of national decline.
Silicon Valley strutted into the landscape that both men had tried to paint, and then became a tool for skeptics to reach out to undermine the central argument.
“We were in a ‘loop of doom’ so vicious that there was no possibility of escape. It was said that greater investment in public services could not be achieved without endangering public finances or curbing economic growth. It was equally impossible to significantly reduce immigration without similar effects,” Starmer wrote.
Those who cheated on the Prime Minister’s job did not fare well either.
Mr Blair said Labor was playing with fire by holding a leadership election without considering what it would offer people in the future. Mr Blair’s letter said: “Trying to force the Prime Minister to step down before we know what policy direction we will bring is not a serious way for us to act.”
In an article published in times London Mayor Andy Burnham, of Greater Manchester, who is the frontrunner in an extended race to succeed Mr Starmer, said Mr Blair had failed on the single biggest problem his party needed to tackle: inequality in politics.
More than any stump speech, Twitter rant or Truth Social post, Mr Blair and Pope Leo’s essays provide a reference point for understanding where humanity is headed. In the words of Pope Leo, it demonstrates the power of “discernment” in times of rapid change.
