Pope Leo calls for the disarmament of AI: ‘Machines are tools, not persons’

Pope Leo XIV has called for the disarmament of AI systems, urging United Nations member states to take concrete steps towards banning lethal autonomous weapons during their meeting in Geneva next month. In his Papal Address, Pope Leo emphasized that humans have the responsibility to guide, change, and reject AI applications, and that decisions affecting human life, freedom, and the use of force must remain subject to human oversight. Pope Leo's address reflects his earlier encyclical, which highlighted the importance of safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. He also warned against granting AI systems rights or legal personhood, stating that machines are tools, not persons. Pope Leo's comments follow a similar call for a ban on autonomous weapons made by Pope Francis in 2024, and suggest that he is committed to confronting the challenges of AI head-on, much like Pope Leo XIII did during the Industrial Revolution.