Pope urges AI safeguards, warns against tech dominance

Pope Leo XIV has called for the “disarmament” of artificial intelligence (AI), warning that unchecked technological competition could allow advanced systems to dominate humanity.

The pontiff made the call in an encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, released on Monday, where he stressed the need to align AI development with human dignity and ethical responsibility.

According to Pope Leo, “disarming” AI means freeing the technology from a mindset driven by competition, power struggles and uncontrolled expansion, which he said now extends beyond military use into economic and cognitive spheres.

He warned that the global race to build more powerful AI systems risks prioritising technology over human values while weakening society’s ability to make moral decisions.

The pope further cautioned against technological monopolies and the concentration of power among a small number of actors, saying AI should remain a tool that serves humanity rather than one that shapes or controls human life.

He also criticised efforts aimed at eliminating human limitations through technology, arguing that human vulnerability should not be viewed as a defect to be erased.

Raising concerns about AI’s increasing role in warfare, surveillance, misinformation and labour markets, Pope Leo called for stronger ethical safeguards and international oversight.

The document marks the first major Vatican publication dedicated entirely to artificial intelligence and its implications for humanity, coming amid growing global debates over AI regulation and governance.