"Machines are tools": Pope Leo calls for AI disarmament
Kyiv • UNN
Pope Leo XIV called on the UN to ban lethal autonomous weapons. He emphasized the need for mandatory human control over AI decisions.
Pope Leo XIV stated that AI systems should be "disarmed," adding that people "are responsible for guiding, changing and, when necessary, rejecting its application." UNN reports this with reference to The Verge.
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In his papal address on October 30, Pope Leo called on member states of the United Nations to "take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons" during their meeting in Geneva next month.
The address reflects many of the ideas Pope Leo laid out in his first major papal document in May, which highlighted "safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence." In line with his encyclical, Pope Leo tells participants that "Machines are tools, not persons," and warns about 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," Pope Leo says.
In 2024, Pope Francis similarly called for a ban on autonomous weapons, stating: "No machine should ever decide to take a human life." Artificial intelligence has become a popular topic for Pope Leo, who says he chose his name because he must confront the development of technology—much as Pope Leo XIII led the Church on the front lines of the Industrial Revolution.
Pope Leo closes out his address by calling for international institutions to safeguard the common good from AI-related risks, along with "shared standards, independent oversight and clear mechanisms of accountability so that decisions concerning the development and use of AI can be examined, challenged when necessary, and accompanied by appropriate remedies for any harm caused."