Pope Leo Calls for AI Disarmament and Restrictions on Lethal Autonomous Weapons
Pope Leo XIV has called for the “disarmament” of artificial intelligence, arguing that machines should be treated as tools rather than persons. In a papal address, he said humans have a responsibility to guide, change, and, when necessary, reject AI applications.
The pope also encouraged United Nations member states to take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons during a meeting in Geneva next month. His comments build on a major papal document from May that focused on safeguarding the human person in the age of AI.
The position places the Vatican among institutions pressing for international limits on the most dangerous uses of AI, while emphasizing human oversight and responsibility for how AI systems are deployed.