Pope Leo XIV urges AI disarmament in new encyclical

Pope Leo XIV signed the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas on 15 May 2026, calling for the "disarmament" of artificial intelligence. He warned that AI development and its military use heighten the risk of armed conflict and that delegating life‑and‑death decisions to machines could lead to unprecedented destruction. The Pope urged identification of large private economic interests pushing states toward unchecked AI deployment.

The document also condemned deep‑fake technologies, stressing the sanctity of human faces and voices as irreplaceable markers of personhood. It highlighted the need for moral and legal safeguards to protect human dignity in the age of AI.

Pope Leo, elected in May 2025 after a rapid conclave, framed AI as a civilizational challenge, urging societies to regain control over its impact on humanity.