Pope Leo XIV has raised serious concerns over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military applications, warning that delegating life-and-death decisions to machines constitutes a “destructive betrayal” of the principles that uphold civilisation.
In his first message for World Peace Day, published Thursday, the Catholic Church’s first US pope said technological advances and the military implementation of AI have intensified the tragedy of armed conflict. “There is even a growing tendency among political and military leaders to shirk responsibility, as decisions about life and death are increasingly ‘delegated’ to machines,” he stated.
The pope, elected in May, has repeatedly called for the ethical use of AI. His latest remarks come amid increasing adoption of AI by several countries to automate surveillance, cyber defence, and weapons systems — including autonomous drones and predictive anti-missile systems — raising complex ethical dilemmas.
Ahead of World Peace Day on January 1, Leo also criticized the politicization of religion. “It has become increasingly common to drag the language of faith into political battles, to bless nationalism, and to justify violence and armed struggle in the name of religion,” he said.
The 70-year-old pontiff further condemned the reliance on military might, particularly nuclear deterrence, describing it as “based on the irrationality of relations between nations” and “built not on law, justice, and trust but on fear and domination by force.”
