Pope Leo XIV Calls for Disarming AI to Protect Humanity

Pope Leo XIV emphasized the necessity of "disarming" artificial intelligence to safeguard humanity from its dangers, contributing his voice to the intense debate over government regulation of this transformative technology.

In a significant address to the Catholic Church, the pope advocated for making artificial intelligence more human-centered, freeing it from monopolistic control, and avoiding its exploitation for geopolitical or commercial gains.

On Monday, the pope stated in his new papal message, "Disarming means refuting the assumption that technical power automatically grants the right to rule," adding, "Disarming does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity," according to a Bloomberg report reviewed by العربية Business.

By publicly advocating for the protection of humans in the AI era, the first American pope in history positioned himself in potential opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump, who supports loosening restrictions on rapidly advancing AI technology to maintain a competitive edge against China.

At 70 years old, the pope joined the heated discussion on the extent to which AI models should be limited, amid concerns about their capacity to disrupt the banking system, select targets for military strikes, and ultimately replace humans in broad decision-making roles.

The release of the document titled "Magnifica humanitas," Latin for "The Magnificent Humanity," represents the most significant work by the pope since assuming leadership of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide a year ago. Papal messages traditionally offer ethical guidance on the era's greatest challenges, including issues such as climate change and migration.

As a mathematician by training, Leo XIV specifically warned against the risks of using computing in warfare and the loss of ethical considerations, stating, "No algorithm can make war ethically acceptable."

He added, "Artificial intelligence does not remove the inherent inhumanity of conflict; rather, it may accelerate its pace and render it more abstracted from the human dimension."

His remarks come amid global concern following the unveiling of "Mythos," an AI model developed by Anthropic capable of identifying unknown vulnerabilities in information technology systems.

Notably, in the context of sounding the alarm about the dangers of unregulated AI, the Vatican extended an invitation to Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic and an expert in machine learning.

Anthropic, the developer of the well-known chatbot "Claude," has clashed with the Trump administration over the use of its technology in warfare and surveillance.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, a convert to Catholicism and close associate of Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel—an early investor in OpenAI—hinted at rising tensions. Recently, Leo XIV and Trump exchanged accusations regarding the pope's opposition to war with Iran.

At a press conference on May 19, Vance said, "I think when the leader of the largest Christian denomination in the world speaks on an issue like this, it certainly has an impact, and I am sure there are many insights, some I agree with and some I do not."