Pope Leo XIV urges UN states to move toward banning lethal autonomous weapons
The call sets up a Geneva meeting where member states will be pressed on concrete steps against AI-driven weapons that can take lethal action.
Pope Leo XIV has called for AI systems to be disarmed and urged UN member states to take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons ahead of their meeting in Geneva next month. He stated that machines are tools rather than persons and warned against granting AI systems rights or legal personhood, insisting that decisions affecting human life and the use of force stay under effective human oversight. The address builds on his first major papal document from May, which focused on protecting the human person in the age of AI. He also urged international institutions to establish shared standards, independent oversight and accountability mechanisms, including remedies for harm, so AI decisions can be examined and challenged.
Why it matters
The appeal puts human oversight of force and of decisions affecting life at the centre of the debate on AI weapons. It also sets out a view that AI systems should stay tools rather than gain rights or legal personhood, which would make responsibility for their actions rest with people and institutions. If governments take up the call, the Geneva meeting could become the venue for shared standards, independent oversight and remedies for harm.
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