Pope Leo XIV Warns AI Capable Of Fueling Global Conflict

Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence risks propelling the world toward “unending war” and “perpetual conflict.” The Pontiff made the declaration on Monday during the release of his first major encyclical, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), a landmark document addressing the existential threats posed by unchecked technology.

The 43,000-word document, one of the highest forms of papal teaching, warns that autonomous weapons systems have advanced “practically beyond any human reach to govern them”. In a dramatic appeal delivered at the Vatican, the Pope declared that “artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed.” He acknowledged that the phrase is strong, saying, “The word is strong, I know, but deliberately chosen because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity”.

The Pope argued that AI lowers “the threshold for resorting to violence” and makes conflict more impersonal. “Humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power, where peace no longer appears as a responsibility to be taken on, but as a fragile interval between conflicts,” the encyclical reads. The Pontiff specifically warned against entrusting machines with life-and-death decisions, stating that it is “not permissible” to let algorithms determine lethal outcomes.

In a significant theological shift, the American Pope declared the ancient “just war” theory “now outdated.” He criticized leaders who might use armed conflict as a “cynical tool for managing difficulties” or diverting attention from domestic problems. Regarding the use of force, he wrote: “The use of force, violence and weapons reflects a relational poverty that always has disastrous consequences for civilian populations”.

The encyclical, which has been in the works for nearly a year, also draws a parallel between modern AI development and the biblical Tower of Babel. “The risk of dehumanization — of building a future that excludes God and reduces the other to a means — is an ancient and ever-new temptation,” the Pope writes.

The Vatican event was notably attended by Chris Olah, co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, who acknowledged the commercial pressures facing the industry. “Every frontier AI lab, including Anthropic, operates inside a set of incentives and constraints that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing,” Olah said.

Pope Leo called for “robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility” to slow down the race for technological dominance. He urged the world not to give in to fatalism regarding the risks. “A subtle temptation may emerge, namely the thought that the problems are too big and we are too small,” he wrote. “Yet, no one is without responsibility”.