Pope Leo Calls for Global AI Regulation and an End to AI‑Driven Warfare

Pope Leo has urged governments to slow the development of artificial intelligence in his first major document on the technology. He warned that AI systems spread misinformation, prioritize conflict, and risk leading the world toward endless war.

In the encyclical titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), the pope called for AI data ownership to extend beyond private hands, for developers and policymakers to refrain from using AI for warfare, and for the protection of workers’ rights and children’s safety.

“What is needed is a more active political involvement that can slow things down when everything is accelerating,” Leo wrote, advocating reduced competition among AI firms and stronger oversight and legal frameworks.

Impact of the encyclical

The release of “Magnifica Humanitas” follows years of Vatican study on AI. Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, also warned that unregulated AI could worsen inequality.

“The text speaks to believers and non‑believers alike, returning the technological debate to its fundamental direction,” said Antonio Spadaro, Under‑Secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.

“Not what the machine can do, but what we humans must remain.”

Éric Salobir, a French Catholic priest specializing in new technology, told RFI that the Church’s voice is increasingly sought in tech circles because of its experience with ethical questions and its advocacy for the most vulnerable, including those in the Global South.

Much like Pope Francis’s 2015 climate encyclical “Laudato Si,” “Magnifica Humanitas” could become a pivotal reference in the global AI debate.

No new “Tower of Babel”

Drawing on the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, the pope warned that any enterprise that seeks to “reach heaven without God’s blessing” runs the risk of hubris.

“With the heart of a shepherd and a father, I ask everyone to abandon the construction of another Tower of Babel and join forces in building the common good,” he said.

Leo condemned the concentration of power and data in the hands of a few private‑sector actors.

“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users, and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote.

“A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few.”

He urged AI developers and political leaders to apply ethical and spiritual guidelines, prioritizing humanity’s well‑being over profit or power.

No AI for war

The encyclical denounces the proliferation of wars, the weakening of multilateral institutions, and the role of the arms industry in fueling conflict.

“Humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power, where peace no longer appears as a responsibility but as a fragile interval between conflicts,” Leo warned.

He rejected the use of AI in warfare, calling it “not permissible” to entrust lethal decisions to autonomous systems.

This stance comes amid legal battles, such as Anthropic’s dispute with the U.S. military over the company’s policy prohibiting the use of its Claude model for lethal autonomous warfare or mass surveillance.

Rejecting the “just war” doctrine

Leo delivered one of the clearest papal repudiations of the “just war” theory, a doctrine the Church has employed since the fifth century to evaluate conflicts.

He argued that the theory has been misused to justify wars, citing recent political examples, and declared it “outdated.”

“The use of force, violence, and weapons reflects a relational poverty that always has disastrous consequences for civilian populations.”

Apology for past failures

Leo referenced earlier papal teachings on social justice before turning to AI ethics.

He invoked Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, which advocated better pay and conditions for workers during the Industrial Revolution.

The current pope decried “new forms of slavery” affecting people who operate AI systems and those who manufacture the hardware that powers the technology.

“In some regions, children and adolescents work in dangerous conditions, crushing the materials from which rare‑earth elements are extracted,” he wrote, calling this a profound moral challenge of our time.

Leo also acknowledged that the Catholic Church failed to condemn transatlantic slavery until the 19th century, describing it as “a wound in Christian memory.”

“For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon,” he said.

(with newswires)

Source link