Pope urges ‘disarming’ of AI in major manifesto
Pope urges ‘disarming’ of AI in major manifesto
https://www.dw.com/en/pope-urges-disarming-of-ai-in-major-manifesto/a-77288369
Publish Date: 2026-05-25 11:33:00
Source Domain: www.dw.com
Pope Leo XIV used his first major manifesto, published Monday, to urge governments to “disarm” artificial intelligence and be guided by the common good rather than power or profit.
The first US pontiff stressed that while AI can be a valuable tool, it also poses many dangers to humanity.
“Artificial Intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,” the pope told a special Vatican presentation of the document, known as an encyclical.
Encyclicals are seen as an authoritative form of teaching from a pope to the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion members.
Leo’s first encyclical, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), follows several years of study by the church on AI-related technologies.
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What else did the pope address in the document?
In the text, the pontiff was particularly critical of the role of the fast-moving technology in conflicts, arguing that AI-supported autonomous weapons systems have made war “more feasible.”
He said any use of AI in warfare “must be subject to the most rigorous ethical constraints” and said it was “not permissible” to entrust lethal decisions to AI systems.
Leo stressed, however, that “to disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity.”
AI should be “human-friendly,” accessible to all and opened to discussion and debate, he added, lamenting that power was often concentrated in the hands of a few.
This means that “small but highly influential groups can shape information and consumption patterns, influence democratic processes and steer economic dynamics to their own advantage,” he wrote.
For that reason, it is essential that AI be strictly regulated and face “robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and…
