Pope Leo calls for the disarmament of AI: ‘Machines are tools, not persons’

In his Friday Papal Address, Pope Leo XIV said AI systems should be "disarmed" and urged UN member states to "take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons" at their Geneva meeting next month. He said "Machines are tools, not persons" and warned against granting AI systems rights or legal personhood, adding that decisions affecting human life, freedom and the use of force must remain under effective human oversight. The address echoes his May papal document on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence, and he closed by calling for shared standards, independent oversight and clear accountability mechanisms.