Pope decries the rise of AI-directed warfare, saying it leads to a spiral of annihilation :: WRAL.com
Publish Date: 2026-05-14 08:35:00
Source Domain: www.wral.com
- Pope Leo XIV denounced investments in AI and high-tech weaponry, calling them contributors to a “spiral of annihilation” during his visit to Rome’s La Sapienza University.
- This visit marked the first time a pope had stepped onto the campus since Pope Benedict XVI cancelled a visit in 2008 due to faculty and student protests.
- Leo was warmly welcomed, including by young Palestinian students who arrived via a humanitarian corridor to continue their studies.
- The Pope criticized the increase in military spending at the expense of education and healthcare, noting its benefits to elites rather than the common good.
- He called for better monitoring of AI development to prevent it from freeing humans from responsibility in conflicts and to avoid exacerbating war-related tragedies.
- Leo emphasized the importance of education and research promoting peace and justice, especially in conflict zones like Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
- His emphasis on the critical issues of AI, especially in warfare and daily life, is set to be explored in detail in his forthcoming encyclical.
