Pope Leo XIV said that artificial intelligence must be "disarmed" to prevent the technology from becoming a tool of domination, exclusion, and death [1].
The warning signals a significant shift in the Vatican's approach to emerging technology, suggesting that the moral risks of AI now require global regulatory intervention to protect human dignity.
These concerns were detailed in "Magnifica Humanitas" [1], the first encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIV [1]. In the document, the pontiff said that unchecked AI development could enable commercial or geopolitical domination and exacerbate a "culture of power" [2].
Pope Leo XIV, who is the first U.S.-born pope [3], said strong global regulation is needed to ensure the technology does not threaten the marginalized. He specifically addressed the concentration of power within the tech industry, saying that ownership of artificial intelligence data and systems must not be left solely in private hands [4].
The Pope framed the current technological era as a crossroads for the human race. "Humanity... is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together," he said [5].
By urging the "disarming" of AI, the Pope said that the capacity for the technology to cause systemic harm outweighs its current utility if left unregulated [1]. He said that without a framework of global cooperation, the tools of intelligence could be used to further exclude vulnerable populations from societal participation [2].
“AI must be 'disarmed' to prevent domination, exclusion, and death.”
The Pope's call to 'disarm' AI moves the conversation beyond simple ethics and into the realm of global security and antitrust. By framing AI as a potential weapon of domination and criticizing private ownership of data, the Vatican is aligning itself with advocates for a 'digital commons' and international treaties similar to nuclear non-proliferation agreements.
