Pope Leo XIV calls for AI to be 'disarmed': 'Machines are tools, not persons'

Pope Leo XIV has said that artificial intelligence systems should be "disarmed." Humans, he said, "have the responsibility to guide, change and, when necessary, reject its applications."

In Friday's Papal Address, the pontiff encouraged United Nations member states to "take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons" when they meet in Geneva next month.

Humans must stay in charge

The address builds on many of the ideas in Leo XIV's first major papal document, released in May, which focused on "safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence." In keeping with that encyclical, the pope reminded participants that "Machines are tools, not persons," and warned of the dangers of granting AI systems rights or legal personhood.

"Decisions affecting human life, freedom, and the use of force must always remain subject to effective, informed, and responsible human oversight," the pontiff said.

Continuity

Leo XIV is not the first pope to speak out against autonomous weapons. In 2024, Pope Francis likewise called for a ban, saying that "No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being."

AI has become a favorite subject for the current pope. He has suggested he chose his name precisely because he must confront advances in the technology — much as Pope Leo XIII led the church at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.

Accountability and oversight

The pope closed his address by calling on international institutions to safeguard the common good. What is needed, he argued, are "shared standards, independent oversight and clear mechanisms of accountability" so that decisions on developing and using AI can be examined, challenged when necessary, and accompanied by appropriate remedies for any harm caused.

Source: The Verge