Pope Leo XIV calls for disarming AI and banning lethal autonomous weapons
What happened
On 30 October 2026, in his Friday address, Pope Leo XIV called for the "disarmament" of AI systems and urged UN member states to "take concrete steps to ban lethal autonomous weapons" at next month's conference in Geneva. He stressed that "machines are tools, not persons", warned against granting AI systems rights or legal personality, and said decisions involving human life, freedom and the use of force must always remain under effective human oversight. The development so far is the Pope's public statement; the Geneva conference has not yet taken place.
Written by AI from the reports · updated 3 h ago
Timeline
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- The Verge · AIPope Leo calls for the disarmament of AI: ‘Machines are tools, not persons’
Pope Leo XIV says AI systems should be "disarmed," adding that humans "have the responsibility to guide, change and, when necessary, reject its applications." In Friday's Papal Address, Pope Leo encourages United Nations member states to "take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons" during their meeting in Geneva next month.
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