Pope Leo XIV said AI systems should be “disarmed,” adding that humans “have the responsibility to guide, modify and, if necessary, reject their applications.” In his papal address on Friday, Pope Leo encourages United Nations member states to “take concrete steps to ban lethal autonomous weapons” when they meet in Geneva next month.
The speech reflects many of the ideas laid out by Pope Leo in his first major papal document in May, which focused on “safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.” In line with his encyclical, Pope Leo tells attendees that “machines are tools, not people,” and warns of the dangers of granting AI systems rights or legal personality. “Decisions affecting human life, liberty and the use of force must always remain subject to effective, informed and responsible human control,” Pope Leo said.
In 2024, Pope Francis also called for a ban on autonomous weapons, saying: “No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being.” AI has become a popular topic for Pope Leo, who suggests he chose its name because it needs to keep up with advances in technology – in the same way that Pope Leo XIII presided over the Church at the forefront of the industrial revolution.
Pope Leo ends his speech by calling on international institutions to protect the common good from AI-related risks, as well as “shared standards, independent oversight, and clear accountability mechanisms so that decisions regarding the development and use of AI can be reviewed, challenged if necessary, and accompanied by appropriate remedies for any harm caused.”
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