Pope Leo XIV encyclical frames AI governance as trilemma between democracy, control, and competitiveness (socialeurope.eu)

• Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas questions who holds power over foundational AI infrastructures.
• US strategy creates state dependence on private firms with shareholder, not citizen, accountability.
• China merges state and corporate objectives, eliminating democratic accountability.
• Europe regulates AI but lacks control over core infrastructure, illustrated by US export actions and Apple's DMA impasse.
• The AI trilemma reveals that concentration of power is a political choice, not technological necessity.

"A new papal encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, reframes the global AI debate as a trilemma: no major power has reconciled democratic accountability, public control of strategic infrastructure, and technological competitiveness. The US model ties the state to private firms accountable to shareholders; China resolves the tension by abolishing private autonomy; Europe regulates models it does not build. The author, Piergiuseppe Fortunato, argues this concentration of power is a political choice, not a technological inevitability."