Pope Leo calls for banning lethal autonomous AI weapons at UN

Pope Leo has called for the disarmament of AI systems, urging United Nations member states to take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons during their upcoming meeting in Geneva, The Verge reported.

In his Papal Address, Pope Leo emphasized that machines should be viewed as tools rather than persons, warning against granting AI systems rights or legal personhood. He stressed that decisions impacting human life and the use of force must remain under effective, informed, and responsible human oversight.

This stance aligns with Pope Leo's earlier encyclical on safeguarding human dignity in the era of artificial intelligence. The Pope highlighted the responsibility humans have to guide, change, or reject AI applications as necessary.

Pope Leo's position echoes that of Pope Francis in 2024, who also called for a ban on autonomous weapons, stating that no machine should decide to take a human life. The current Pope indicated that his choice of name reflects a commitment to address technological advances, similar to Pope Leo XIII during the Industrial Revolution.

The address concluded with a call for international institutions to establish shared standards and independent safeguards to protect the common good in the face of AI development.