Pope Leo calls for the disarmament of AI: ‘Machines are tools, not persons’
News Source
•2026-10-30T10:58:06-04:00
📰 What Happened
In his Friday Papal Address, Pope Leo XIV called for AI systems to be 'disarmed' and urged United Nations member states to take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons when they meet in Geneva next month. He told participants that 'machines are tools, not persons' and warned against granting AI systems rights or legal personhood.
🔍 The Backstory
The address draws on Pope Leo's first major papal document in May, which focused on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. It lands as international talks on autonomous weapons remain stalled and militaries adopt AI-enabled targeting at pace.
🎯 Why It Matters
A papal intervention gives moral weight to calls for a binding treaty on killer robots, a file that has moved slowly at the UN for more than a decade. It also inserts the Vatican into the wider argument over AI personhood and accountability now playing out in courts and legislatures.
In his Friday Papal Address, Pope Leo XIV called for AI systems to be 'disarmed' and urged United Nations member states to take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons when they meet in Geneva next month. He told participants that 'machines are tools, not persons' and warned against granting AI systems rights or legal personhood.
The address draws on Pope Leo's first major papal document in May, which focused on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. It lands as international talks on autonomous weapons remain stalled and militaries adopt AI-enabled targeting at pace.
A papal intervention gives moral weight to calls for a binding treaty on killer robots, a file that has moved slowly at the UN for more than a decade. It also inserts the Vatican into the wider argument over AI personhood and accountability now playing out in courts and legislatures.