Pope Leo warns some AI weapons 'practically beyond' human control

Pope Leo cautioned that some autonomous AI weapons systems are becoming too advanced for humans to effectively control or govern. He urged stronger oversight and called for continued dialogue between the Catholic Church and AI developers on the ethical use of the technology.

Reuters

25 May 2026 at 11:32:05

Pope Leo XIV shakes hands with Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah at the presentation of "Magnifica humanitas", his first encyclical, focused on the rise of artificial intelligence, at the Vatican's Aula Nuova del Sinodo, May 25, 2026.

Yara Nardi/Reuters

Pope Leo warned on Monday that some autonomous weapons systems are "practically beyond any human reach" to control, presenting his encyclical on the risks of AI systems.

"Other very troubling voices have also reached me about increasingly autonomous weapons systems practically beyond any human reach to govern them effectively," Leo said.

The first U.S. pope said the Catholic Church wanted to work with AI developers to discuss the proper use of the technology, and said humans should maintain key controls of AI systems.

-Reporting by Joshua McElwee, editing by Alvise Armellini/Reuters

Pope Leo warned on Monday that some autonomous weapons systems are "practically beyond any human reach" to control, presenting his encyclical on the risks of AI systems.