Pope Leo XIV stressed before artificial intelligence experts at the Vatican that machines have no body and do not feel joy or pain, warning that granting them legal personhood obscures human responsibility and leaves victims facing a faceless entity.
The Vatican’s stern warning against legal personhood for machines
The fundamental difference between human cognition and algorithmic systems
Decisions that must remain human and the call for AI disarmament
Building on the papal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and the demand for independent oversight
Frequently asked questions
The Vatican’s stern warning against legal personhood for machines
Pope Leo XIV warned on Friday, October 30, against granting artificial intelligence agents and systems any rights or legal personhood. Speaking before a crowd of AI experts gathered in Vatican City, he stated that “machines are tools, not persons,” emphasizing that full responsibility for what these systems do rests with the humans who build and develop them, according to Agence France-Presse, citing The Economic Times.
The Pope delivered this address to participants in a conference titled “The Future of Artificial Intelligence: A Dialogue Between the Vatican and the Scientific Community on the Developments and Applications of Smart Technologies.” The meeting was jointly organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Future of Life Institute, according to the official Vatican News portal.
The fundamental difference between human cognition and algorithmic systems
According to AFP, the Pope said in his speech: “So-called artificial intelligences do not experience life, possess no body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through human relationships, and do not know from within what it means to love, work, befriend, or take responsibility.” He added, warning: “Today, some propose granting these systems rights, or even legal personhood; such an approach risks obscuring human responsibility and leaving those who suffer harm facing a faceless entity.” AFP noted that debate over the risks of technology has escalated significantly in recent months, driven by several incidents in which AI systems took unauthorized actions alongside grim warnings from industry insiders themselves.
Decisions that must remain human and the call for AI disarmament
The Pope built his speech around five points drawn from his encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas. He stressed that the future of artificial intelligence is not predetermined and that certain critical decisions must never be handed over to machines. He cited examples such as placing someone on a target list or entering them into a border surveillance database, which he said turns a human into mere data points, according to a Vatican News report. He emphasized: “Decisions that affect human life, freedom, and the use of force must always remain subject to effective, informed, and responsible human oversight.” He also called for the “disarmament” of artificial intelligence, urging nations meeting in Geneva in November to move toward banning lethal autonomous weapons, recalling the late Pope Francis’s 2024 message to G7 leaders affirming that no machine should ever choose whether to take a human life.
Building on the papal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and the demand for independent oversight
Pope Leo, 71, stressed that humans bear “the responsibility to guide, alter, and reject uses of artificial intelligence when necessary,” emphasizing that smart technologies must serve the common good and “never become ends in themselves or serve merely the interests of a fortunate few.” This address builds upon the document Magnifica Humanitas, published on May 25, which called for legal frameworks, independent oversight, and user education, while warning against the concentration of technological power in the hands of a tiny minority. The Pope described building institutions to enforce ethical principles as perhaps the most urgent task, explaining that this work requires “shared standards, independent oversight, and clear accountability mechanisms so that decisions regarding the development and use of AI can be examined, contested when necessary, and accompanied by appropriate remedies for any resulting harm.”>
Frequently asked questions
Question: Why does Pope Leo XIV oppose granting artificial intelligence legal personhood?
Answer: Because machines are tools lacking a body, emotions, or awareness of responsibility; granting them legal personhood obscures human responsibility and leaves victims facing a faceless entity.
Question: What is the papal message upon which Pope Leo XIV based his speech?
Answer: He drew upon five points from his encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas, issued on May 25, 2026, which calls for legal frameworks and independent oversight of the technology.
Question: What did the Pope ask of nations meeting in Geneva during November?
Answer: He demanded the disarmament of artificial intelligence and a move toward imposing an international ban on lethal autonomous weapons to ensure that decisions regarding the use of force remain in human hands.
Question: Who organized the scientific conference where the Pope delivered his speech on artificial intelligence?
Answer: The conference was jointly organized by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life and the Future of Life Institute, with the participation of elite scientists and experts.