Pope Leo Warns AI Could Fuel Warfare

Pope Leo XIV has warned that artificial intelligence could worsen global conflicts if left unchecked. He called for strict ethical controls on the technology in his first major theological document as pope.

In the 235-page encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), the pontiff said AI must not remain under the control of “a few” powerful groups and stressed that its use in warfare should face “the most rigorous ethical constraints.”

The pope also argued that the traditional Christian “just war” theory is now outdated, saying military force should only be used for self-defense “in the strictest sense.” He warned that violence and weapons continue to bring “disastrous consequences for civilian populations.”

Pope Leo said AI is already shaping human decisions and society in profound ways. “We cannot consider AI to be morally neutral,” he wrote, warning that technology reflects the priorities and choices of those who create it.

The encyclical calls for stronger legal oversight of AI, protection of jobs, fair distribution of resources, and safeguards for human dignity. The pope also criticized ideas such as transhumanism and posthumanism, which promote merging humans and machines or overcoming human limits through technology.

The document is being viewed as a defining statement of Pope Leo’s papacy and one of the Vatican’s strongest responses yet to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.