Pope Leo XIV is urging governments to set limits on artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on weapons that can use lethal force autonomously. In a Friday papal address, he asked United Nations member states to work toward a ban and argued that people must remain responsible for decisions with serious consequences.
A call to restrict autonomous weapons
Leo encouraged UN member states to “take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons” when they meet in Geneva next month. His appeal places AI weapon policy within a wider question: how much authority should systems have when human lives are at stake?
The address calls for AI systems to be “disarmed.” Leo said people “have the responsibility to guide, change and, when necessary, reject its applications.” That framing treats AI as something people must govern, rather than an independent actor that should determine how it is used.
Human oversight remains central
Leo warned against giving AI systems rights or legal personhood. “Machines are tools, not persons,” he told participants, drawing a clear line between the technology and the people accountable for its use.
He also said decisions affecting human life, freedom, and the use of force must remain subject to effective, informed, and responsible human oversight. The principle extends beyond autonomous weapons: it asks that consequential AI decisions remain open to human judgment and intervention.
In practice, the address links oversight to responsibility. If people retain the authority to guide or reject an AI application, they also need ways to understand what it does and respond when it causes harm. The speech does not set out a detailed enforcement plan, but it makes human involvement a central condition for decisions of this kind.
Building rules and accountability
Leo closed by asking international institutions to protect the common good from risks related to AI. He called for shared standards, independent oversight, and clear accountability mechanisms so that decisions about AI development and use can be examined and challenged when needed.
He also called for appropriate remedies when harm occurs. Together, these proposals describe a governance approach that covers more than the design of AI systems: it includes scrutiny of decisions, independent review, and a response when people are harmed.
The appeal leaves the details to governments and institutions, but its direction is clear. AI policy, in Leo’s account, should preserve human responsibility, create common expectations across borders, and provide a way to question decisions made with the technology.
A continuing focus on AI
The address echoes ideas in Leo’s first major papal document in May, which highlighted “safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.” His latest remarks carry that concern into international policy, especially where AI intersects with weapons and the use of force.
In 2024, Pope Francis also called for a ban on autonomous weapons, saying, “No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being.” The two appeals share a focus on keeping the decision to use lethal force with people.
Leo has said AI is a subject he expects to confront during his papacy. He suggested he chose his name because of the challenge posed by technological advances, recalling Pope Leo XIII’s leadership of the church during the Industrial Revolution. His latest address turns that concern into a call for international safeguards and a ban on lethal autonomous weapons.