Pope condemns warfare using artificial intelligence: It leads to total destruction

He called for better monitoring of how artificial intelligence is developed and used in military and civilian contexts "so that it does not absolve people of responsibility for their decisions and does not exacerbate the tragedy of conflict."

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Pope Leo XIV visits La Sapienza University, Photo: Reuters
Pope Leo XIV visits La Sapienza University, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Pope Leo XIV today condemned investments in artificial intelligence and high-tech weapons as leading the world into a "spiral of destruction" and called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine.

In a speech at Rome's La Sapienza University, the largest in Europe, the Pope condemned the dramatic increase in military spending this year, especially in Europe, at the expense of education and healthcare, while "elite who do not care about the common good" have become rich.

He called for better monitoring of how artificial intelligence is developed and used in military and civilian contexts "so that it does not absolve people of responsibility for their decisions and does not exacerbate the tragedy of conflict."

"What is happening in Ukraine, in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, in Lebanon and Iran, illustrates the inhuman evolution of the relationship between war and new technologies in a spiral of destruction," the pope said.

He said that education and research must go in the opposite direction that values ​​life, "the lives of people who cry out for peace and justice!".

The Pope has highlighted artificial intelligence as one of the most critical issues facing humanity, particularly its application in warfare and everyday life. He announced that he will elaborate on these topics in his first encyclical, which will be published in the coming weeks.

The Pope was also warmly welcomed by some of Sapientia's newest students: young Palestinians who arrived in Italy this week via a "humanitarian corridor" from Gaza. Since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza in 2023, the Italian government, in collaboration with Catholic organizations, has brought hundreds of Palestinians for study and treatment.

At the Sapienza University, founded in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII, the last time a papal visit was planned was in 2008, but then Benedict XVI's speech was canceled due to protests from faculty and students who considered his views an insult to science and the secular nature of the University.

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