Pope Leo calls AI agents "tools, not persons" and asks states in Geneva to ban autonomous weapons

Pope Leo XIV told a Vatican conference run with the Future of Life Institute on Friday that some now propose giving AI systems "rights, or even legal personhood," and warned that it would hide human responsibility and leave people harmed by them facing "a faceless entity." "Machines are tools, not persons," he said. Decisions about human life, freedom and the use of force must stay under "effective, informed and responsible human oversight."

He urged the states meeting in Geneva this month to "take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons," and asked for independent oversight and remedies for harm. Delaware is drafting rules for AI-run companies that can sue and be sued. SourcesA

Sources

• AAddress to participants in "The Future of AI" dialogue (The Holy See)vatican.va

This story ran in the Morning Brief of November 2nd 2026.