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The Labor Day message echoed Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas on artificial intelligence.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a statement to commemorate Labor Day, emphasizing its significance as a time to 'celebrate workers and honor the dignity of work.' Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, highlighted work as a form of participation in God's creation.
Archbishop Fabre's statement focuses on economic uncertainties facing young people and vulnerable communities. Despite reported economic growth, the statement points out slowed hiring, particularly for unemployed and Black workers, and a significant portion of the workforce earning $35,000 or less annually. It also cites a 2025 poll revealing that 70% of Americans find raising children unaffordable, a notable increase from the previous year.
A major concern highlighted in the message is the widespread anxiety that artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to higher unemployment and fewer family-supporting jobs, with young people being the most impacted. Archbishop Fabre references Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas,' which warns against an 'anti-human' vision that AI might normalize, stressing that AI cannot replicate human intelligence, emotion, or discernment.
The archbishop, echoing the pontiff, warns against potential negative impacts of AI such as de-skilling, surveillance, rigid tasks, reduced creativity, unemployment, and increased inequalities. He notes AI's reliance on hidden low-wage workers in exploitative supply chains. The message calls for the careful development of AI systems centered on the human person, ensuring they serve the common good and human dignity, rather than solely focusing on performance or profit.
Archbishop Fabre contextualizes current labor challenges by drawing parallels to the Industrial Revolution and Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, 'Rerum Novarum,' highlighting the Church’s consistent advocacy for the sacredness of the human person in work over the last 135 years. He emphasizes that the U.S. bishops’ 1986 document, 'Economic Justice for All,' remains relevant. The statement concludes by affirming a shared responsibility among the Church, government, labor unions, civil society groups, and corporations to protect human dignity and ensure that innovation benefits all people.