Pope Leo XIV Asks UN Members to Curb Lethal Autonomous Weapons

Pope Leo XIV is asking governments to limit how much authority machines get over life and death. In an address Friday, he said people must retain control over systems that make decisions about human life, freedom, and the use of force. He said those choices need effective, informed, and responsible human oversight.

The address put numbers and dates behind that position. He encouraged member states of the United Nations to take concrete steps toward a ban on lethal autonomous weapons when they meet in Geneva next month. He said machines are tools, not persons, and warned against granting AI systems rights or legal personhood.

The speech restated themes from his first major papal document in May, which dealt with safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. Pope Leo has said he chose his name because he must confront advances in the technology, drawing a line to Pope Leo XIII, who led the church at the front of the Industrial Revolution.

The push follows a similar call in 2024 from Pope Francis, who said no machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being. Pope Leo closed by asking international institutions to guard against AI-related risks, with shared standards, independent oversight, and clear mechanisms of accountability so that decisions on AI can be examined, challenged when necessary, and met with remedies for any harm caused.

His address comes as UN member states prepare for a meeting in Geneva next month.