Pope Leo XIV said artificial intelligence must be “disarmed” to prevent it from becoming an instrument of domination, exclusion, and death.
The warning comes as the Catholic Church addresses the rapid integration of AI into global warfare and labor, signaling a push for international regulation to protect human coexistence.
During the presentation of his first encyclical on May 25, 2024 [1], the Pope said AI is fueling war and creating a “culture of power” that drives an arms race in autonomous weapons. He said the technology must be freed from logics that prioritize control over human dignity.
Comparing the technology to nuclear energy, Pope Leo XIV said it must be at the service of all and of the common good [2]. He said there must be increased transparency and strict regulation to ensure that AI does not become a tool for a new era of digital slavery [3].
The Pope said AI now demands to be “disarmed,” freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion, and death [4]. He said the current trajectory of AI development poses significant risks to how humans coexist and interact.
By framing AI as a potential weapon of exclusion, the Pope highlighted the danger of autonomous systems making life-and-death decisions without human oversight. He said the global community must prioritize the common good over the pursuit of technological dominance [2].
““Artificial intelligence now demands to be ‘disarmed,’ freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death.””
The Pope's comparison of AI to nuclear energy suggests that the Vatican views the technology not merely as a tool, but as a systemic risk requiring global governance similar to atomic weapons treaties. By focusing on 'digital slavery' and autonomous weaponry, the Church is positioning itself as a moral arbiter in the debate over AI ethics, pushing for a shift from market-driven development toward a human-centric regulatory framework.
