Let’s talk… Part 1
I grew up in a traditional Irish Catholic family. I have cousins, uncles, and great-uncles who are ordained priests or deacons. I had a great-aunt who lived as a devout nun. I would not consider myself a Catholic today, but I attended a beatification at St. Peter’s Basilica, walked the fields of Bethlehem, knelt at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
More so, I take unwavering pride that the first American Pope and I are not only from the same city but also share the same sentiment toward the Green Bay Packers (Chicago Popes: 1; Green Bay Popes: 0). Pope Leo XIV is a White Sox fan. I love the Cubs, but we share a philosophy and a futurist vision for artificial intelligence.
We believe in a people-first vision of AI.
On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV presented the encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. The letter is deliberately dated May 15, marking the 135th anniversary of Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum—the 1891 encyclical that responded to the Industrial Revolution. This groundbreaking papal encyclical responded to rampant child labor, inhumane working conditions, and a growing increase in gender and financial inequality. Rerum Novarum called for fair pay, improved working conditions, trade unions, and welfare organizations. The 1891 encyclical letter positioned the Catholic Church, for the first time, squarely on the side of workers.
Magnifica Humanitas is a 245-paragraph document that places the dignity of the human person at the center of all reflection, treating it as the fundamental criterion for guiding technological progress and for assessing its social, cultural, and moral consequences. It asserts that technology has significant social benefits, but is not the solution to humanity’s problems.
“In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human.”
Human experience, expression, and intelligence are not comparable to AI systems. The Pope emphasizes the need to protect workers, combat all forms of worker exploitation, and design systems centered on workers rather than on the machine’s performance.
Pope Leo states, “Work is not simply the instrument; it expresses and enhances the dignity of our lives.” As our industry’s work contracts, I believe, more than ever, that this statement is a core truth many of our union members feel. The work is not merely what we do but an expression of who we are. Every Mixer, Boom Operator, Video Engineer, Projectionist, and Technician in this Local knows that truth in their bones—it’s why we do this work and it’s why defending it matters.
This modern-day encyclical is not meant to be a policy advisement, but an open letter to policymakers to establish social criteria for innovation. The Pope also says, “New collaborative efforts are needed among political leaders, labor organizations, the business world and the scientific community in order to develop rapidly adequate shared regulations and protections, including at the international level.” He calls for corporate commitment to include the quality and dignity of work as indicators of success.
Former Brookings Institution senior fellow Molly Kinder attended a two-day AI summit hosted by the Vatican and Notre Dame University. There, Kinder’s advocacy at the intersection of workers’ rights, policy, technology, and social change is reflected in this document. The American labor movement had a seat at the highest levels of papal consultation.
No matter what your perspectives on the Catholic Church are or the doctrines you subscribe to, Pope Leo XIV is an international figure whose research, discussions, and writings are inspiring people to think critically about the use of artificial intelligence. This document serves as a reminder that “We must avoid the misconception of equating this type of ‘intelligence’ with that of human beings.”
I want to emphasize this final point—artificial intelligence is not human intelligence. The rest of my year will be spent preparing for next year’s negotiations. Your input is valuable. I want to hear it and discuss it. Your participation will help shape the next round of proposals on artificial intelligence and the future of our industry.
On July 27, President Matthew D. Loeb announced that I would become IATSE’s first Labor & Technology Intelligence Officer during the AI Commission Report at the Summer General Executive Board Meeting in Toronto. This new position will advise President Loeb and IATSE leadership on technology and innovation in service of our members across the Alliance—work that has become increasingly urgent as we integrate artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies in a safe and ethical way for our industry and our crafts.
I am excited to take on this new role, though it also brings the grief that accompanies all transitions. This full-time position means I am retiring from my role as a Video Engineer/Recordist or “the artist formerly known as the Tape Operator,” in live TV environments. My time in this position has been magical. I have traveled around the world and worked with amazing creatives, technicians, and artists. I am grateful to many who have supported and championed me along the way, but it is time to stretch my brain and focus full time on this work at the intersection of labor advocacy and the age of artificial intelligence.
Pope Leo XIV writes that each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era. For us, that era gets shaped in very specific rooms: at the bargaining table, in Committee Meetings, and at General Membership Meetings where you show up and speak. The proposals we bring to next year’s negotiations will be stronger if they carry your voice, your experience on set, your concerns about the tools, and your ideas about what protections actually look like in practice. So, let’s talk. I mean that literally. Reach out, come to the meetings, and tell me what you’re seeing. The future of this industry will be written either way. I’d rather we hold the pen.
In Solidarity,
Jillian Arnold