Vance invokes Pope Leo on AI and warfare in Air Force Academy graduation address

U.S. Vice President JD Vance gave a commencement address at the 2026 U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs.
Vance expressed support for Pope Leo XIV’s concerns regarding the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare, following the pontiff’s call for “the most rigorous ethical constraints” in his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas.”
He noted the understandable fears surrounding AI, despite acknowledging its potential benefits.
Vance emphasized the need for future Air Force members to ensure that warfare is conducted justly, reiterating that moral decision-making in war must remain in human hands rather than automated systems.
He urged graduates to use AI technology effectively to enhance human capabilities but to resist surrendering full decision-making power to machines.
The Pope’s encyclical criticized modern warfare due to the rise of autonomous weapons and the principle that armed force should only be used as a last resort, thus underscoring the Church’s long-standing just war theory as outdated.
Vance mentioned that though he had not read the encyclical in entirety, the parts he had read were “very profound.”
The commencement address aligns with the tradition of the U.S. president or vice president speaking at military academy graduations.

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