The Vatican is calling for international oversight of artificial intelligence, warning that increasingly powerful systems could threaten human dignity, undermine independent decision-making and create new risks for global peace.
Artificial intelligence has become a major focus of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy as the Vatican intensifies its warnings about the technology’s potential to transform societies faster than governments and institutions can establish effective safeguards.
The Catholic Church’s concerns are not a response to the latest warnings from technology executives. Vatican officials have been examining the ethical, social and security implications of AI for years, arguing that technological advancement must remain consistent with human dignity, international peace and the common good.
Pope Leo has repeatedly urged governments to establish international rules for AI development, maintaining that the technology’s growing influence requires coordinated oversight rather than fragmented national responses.
Technology Leaders Join Growing Debate Over AI Risks
The urgency of the issue has increased as executives from major technology companies have begun publicly discussing the dangers associated with increasingly advanced artificial intelligence.
A recent meeting hosted by Britain’s King Charles brought together representatives from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind, alongside policymakers and Vatican adviser Rev. Paolo Benanti.
The discussions focused on the potential risks of AI and the challenges facing governments as the technology develops.
Benanti, a prominent Vatican adviser on artificial intelligence, has warned that AI could trigger far-reaching social changes whose consequences may be difficult to anticipate.
He has also emphasised that the Holy See’s position predates the latest expressions of concern from Silicon Valley and reflects a longstanding effort to examine the relationship between technology and human welfare.
Pope Warns of Threats to International Peace
Pope Leo reinforced the Vatican’s position this week, acknowledging that artificial intelligence offers substantial benefits while warning that its development could also introduce new threats to international security.
He has called on governments to exercise responsible oversight and ensure that technological progress does not outpace the protections needed to safeguard society.
His concerns extend beyond misinformation and the possibility of job displacement.
The pope has focused particularly on the risks of AI contributing to armed conflict, weakening human autonomy and enabling weapons systems to operate with increasingly limited human supervision.
As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into military technology, the question of human control over weapons has become a significant part of the Vatican’s wider argument.
Leo has warned about the development of weapons capable of making or carrying out decisions with diminishing human involvement, placing AI governance within the broader debate over autonomous warfare.
Vatican’s Engagement With AI Began Before Leo’s Papacy
The Holy See’s involvement in discussions about artificial intelligence predates Pope Leo’s election.
In 2019, the Vatican hosted conferences examining the technology’s possible consequences for society. Pope Francis subsequently warned that AI-generated misinformation could contribute to serious international conflict.
The Vatican also collaborated with organisations including Microsoft, IBM, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Italian government on principles intended to guide responsible AI development.
Those efforts emphasised that artificial intelligence should benefit society rather than be developed solely to maximise commercial returns or replace human labour.
Leo has expanded that agenda by placing AI governance among the prominent concerns of his papacy.
His first major document, released in May, warned that artificial intelligence could facilitate misinformation, intensify conflict and contribute to cycles of violence.
He called for internationally coordinated rules rather than leaving individual governments to confront the technology’s challenges independently.
Vatican Calls for Common International Rules
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s senior diplomat, has similarly argued that artificial intelligence cannot be effectively regulated by countries acting alone.
According to Parolin, the technology’s international reach requires governments and multilateral institutions to develop shared standards and coordinated responses.
The Vatican is seeking to bring these concerns into broader diplomatic discussions.
Pope Leo is scheduled to address UNESCO in Paris during his September visit to France, with artificial intelligence, human dignity and international cooperation expected to feature prominently.
UNESCO has described the visit as timely amid rapid technological change and mounting questions about whether existing safeguards can adequately protect human rights and individual autonomy.
The Vatican is also strengthening its engagement with the technology industry and civil society.
In September, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the establishment of an AI task force following discussions between church leaders and technology executives.
Human Decision-Making at the Centre of the Debate
For Pope Leo, the fundamental question is not whether artificial intelligence should be accepted or rejected.
His statements have instead focused on how societies can ensure that increasingly capable systems remain subject to human judgment and consistent with human dignity.
This approach places the Vatican’s AI agenda within a larger international debate about who should govern technologies that operate across national borders and develop more rapidly than regulatory institutions can respond.
The comparison with nuclear weapons illustrates the challenge.
Benanti has argued that nuclear weapons are physical objects that can, at least in principle, be identified, counted and controlled. Artificial intelligence, by contrast, is less visible and can spread rapidly through digital systems and societies.
The Vatican’s concerns therefore extend beyond individual AI applications.
Its broader warning is that technologies capable of manipulating information, influencing behaviour, supporting military operations and making decisions with limited human oversight could gradually weaken society’s ability to control them.
AI Governance Becomes a Defining Question of the Papacy
Artificial intelligence has consequently emerged as more than a technological concern for Pope Leo XIV.
It has become a question of international governance, human autonomy, peace and the future relationship between people and increasingly automated systems.
As governments and technology companies debate the pace and direction of AI development, the Vatican is seeking to shift attention towards the principles that should govern its use.
The central question, in the pope’s view, is not simply what artificial intelligence will become capable of doing, but whether humanity will retain the authority to determine what it should be permitted to do.
