Pope Leo calls for the disarmament of AI: ‘Machines are tools, not persons’

<figure> <img alt="A photo of Pope Leo XIV" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Photo by Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gettyimages-2226124908.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pope Leo XIV says AI systems should be "disarmed," adding that humans "have the responsibility to guide, change and, when necessary, reject its applications." In Friday's <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/october/documents/20261030-incontro-pav.html">Papal Address</a>, Pope Leo encourages United Nations member states to "take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons" during their meeting in Geneva next month.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The address reflects many of the ideas Pope Leo laid out in <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/936945/pope-leo-letter-encyclical-ai-anthropic-labor-warfare">his first major papal document in May, which highlighted</a> "safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence." In line with his encyclical, Pope Leo tells participants that "Machines are tools, not persons," and warns about th …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1023188/pope-leo-disarm-ai">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>