Pope Leo XIV has cautioned against the growing use of artificial intelligence in military operations, warning that allowing machines to make life-and-death decisions threatens the moral foundations of civilisation.
The pontiff raised the concern in his first message for World Peace Day, published on Thursday, December 18, where he addressed the expanding role of AI in modern warfare.
According to him, recent technological advances and the military deployment of artificial intelligence have deepened the tragedy of armed conflicts, with political and military leaders increasingly shifting responsibility to machines.
He described the delegation of such critical decisions to AI systems as an unprecedented and destructive betrayal of the legal and philosophical principles of humanism that underpin every civilisation.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, has consistently called for the ethical use of artificial intelligence since his election in May.
His warning comes amid the rising global use of AI-driven military technologies, including autonomous drones, automated surveillance systems, cyber defence tools and missile defence platforms powered by predictive algorithms—developments that have raised serious ethical and legal concerns.
In the same message, released ahead of the Catholic Church’s World Peace Day on January 1, the pope also condemned the manipulation of religion for political ends.
He criticised the practice of invoking faith to promote nationalism or justify violence, describing it as a dangerous distortion of religion.
The 70-year-old pontiff further questioned the idea of military power, particularly nuclear deterrence, arguing that it is irrational and rooted in fear rather than justice, law and mutual trust.
