Pope Leo XIV Urges UN to Ban Lethal Autonomous Weapons at Next Month's Geneva Meeting
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Oct 30
Pope Leo XIV Urges UN to Ban Lethal Autonomous Weapons at Next Month's Geneva Meeting
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Oct 30
Summary
Friday's papal address urged UN member states to take concrete steps in Geneva next month toward banning lethal autonomous weapons.
Pope Leo said AI systems should be “disarmed” because “machines are tools, not persons,” and insisted decisions on life, freedom and force must remain under effective human oversight.
The appeal extends themes from his May encyclical on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, including warnings against granting AI legal personhood.
The Vatican's stance builds on Pope Francis's 2024 call to ban autonomous weapons and broadens into a push for shared standards, independent oversight and accountability for AI harms.