Pope Leo calls for AI disarmament and ban on lethal autonomous weapons
Pope Leo XIV has urged United Nations member states to take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons during their upcoming meeting in Geneva. In a Papal Address delivered on Friday, the Pope emphasized that artificial intelligence systems should be "disarmed" and that humans retain the responsibility to guide, modify, or reject AI applications when necessary. He explicitly warned…
Key points
- Pope Leo XIV urged UN states to ban lethal autonomous weapons at the Geneva meeting.
- The Pope stated machines are tools, not persons, and warned against granting AI legal rights.
- He called for shared standards and independent oversight to ensure responsible human control over AI.
This stance aligns with Pope Leo’s first major papal document from May, which focused on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. He argued that decisions involving human life, freedom, and the use of force must always remain under effective, informed, and responsible human oversight. The Pope also called for international institutions to establish shared standards, independent oversight, and clear accountability mechanisms to examine and challenge AI development and use.
The address continues a trend of religious leadership engaging with AI policy, following Pope Francis’s 2024 call for a ban on autonomous weapons. Pope Leo suggested his choice of name reflects a duty to confront technological advances, drawing a parallel to Pope Leo XIII during the Industrial Revolution. The Pope concluded by requesting remedies for any harm caused by AI, ensuring that the technology serves the common good rather than undermining human agency.
Pope Leo calls for the disarmament of AI: ‘Machines are tools, not persons’
The Verge AI · 30 October 2026
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This text was published by The Verge AI and written by Emma Roth. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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