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Pope Leo XIV says AI systems should be \u201cdisarmed,\u201d adding that humans \u201chave the responsibility to guide, change and, when necessary, reject its applications.\u201d In Friday\u2019s Papal Address, Pope Leo encourages United Nations member states to \u201ctake concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons\u201d during their meeting in Geneva next month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The address reflects many of the ideas Pope Leo laid out in his first major papal document in May, which highlighted \u201csafeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.\u201d In line with his encyclical, Pope Leo tells participants that \u201cMachines are tools, not persons,\u201d and warns about the dangers of granting AI systems rights or legal personhood. \u201cDecisions affecting human life, freedom, and the use of force must always remain subject to effective, informed, and responsible human oversight,\u201d Pope Leo says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In 2024, Pope Francis similarly called for a ban on autonomous weapons, saying, \u201cNo machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being.\u201d AI has become a popular topic for Pope Leo, who suggests he chose his name because he must confront advances in the technology \u2014 similar to how Pope Leo XIII presided over the church at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Pope Leo closes out his address by calling for international institutions to safeguard the common good, along with \u201cshared 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n