VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has issued a strong warning over the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military operations, describing the delegation of life-and-death decisions to machines as a grave threat to the moral foundations of human civilisation.
In his first message marking World Peace Day, released on Thursday, the pontiff expressed deep concern that rapid technological advancements, particularly the integration of AI into warfare, are intensifying the horrors of armed conflict.
“Further technological advances and the military implementation of artificial intelligence have worsened the tragedy of armed conflict,” the Pope stated.
He warned that an increasing number of political and military leaders are avoiding accountability by transferring critical decisions to automated systems.
“There is a growing tendency to evade responsibility, as decisions concerning life and death are increasingly delegated to machines. This represents an unprecedented and destructive betrayal of the legal and philosophical principles of humanism that protect and sustain every civilisation,” he said.
Since his election in May, Pope Leo XIV the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church has consistently called for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence. He has emphasized that technological progress must always remain subordinate to human dignity and moral responsibility.
Across the globe, several countries are already deploying AI-driven technologies in areas such as surveillance, cyber defence, and weapons systems. These include autonomous drones and missile defence platforms powered by predictive algorithms, developments that have sparked growing ethical and humanitarian concerns.
In the same message, issued ahead of the Church’s annual World Peace Day on January 1, the Pope also condemned the manipulation of religion for political purposes. He lamented the increasing misuse of religious language to promote nationalism or justify violence and armed conflict.
“It is deeply troubling that the language of faith is being drawn into political struggles, used to sanctify nationalism, and employed to legitimise violence and warfare in the name of religion,” he warned.
The 70-year-old pontiff further criticised the concept of military supremacy, particularly the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, describing it as fundamentally flawed. According to him, such approaches are rooted in fear and coercion rather than justice, trust and international law.
“The idea of security based on military might, especially nuclear deterrence, rests on the irrationality of relations between nations relations built not on law or justice, but on fear and domination by force,” Pope Leo XIV said.
