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Pope Leo: AI Needs To Be Disarmed

Pope Leo XIV said artificial intelligence needs to be “disarmed” through new regulation that would mitigate its use in warfare. In the first encyclical letter of his papacy, entitled “Magnifica Humanitas,” or Magnificent Humanity, the pope said that AI oversight could not be left to a handful of private tech companies. In a break from tradition, the Chicago-born pope presented the 83-page encyclical personally in the Vatican, and alongside AI experts including Anthropic cofounder Chris Olah. After he was elected last year, becoming the first American pope, Pope Leo said he considered AI to be the biggest challenge facing humanity.

Released on 05/26/2026

Transcript

Artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed.

The word is strong, I know,

but deliberately chosen because this moment needs words

capable of attracting attention,

awakening consciences

and indicating paths forward for humanity.

Other very troubling voices have also reached me

about increasingly autonomous weapons systems,

practically beyond any human reach,

to govern them effectively.

I hear very troubling accounts of algorithms

that can block access to healthcare, employment,

and security on the basis of data,

tainted by prejudice and injustice.

Let's not fear artificial intelligence,

but constantly keep the question of the human in play.

We cannot be careless

with our most powerful technical instruments.