B2 News Society & Culture · May 25, 2026

‘AI needs to be disarmed’: Pope Leo sees threat to humanity in technological arms race

Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical calls for AI 'disarmament' to protect human dignity and prevent technological warfare.

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Pope Leo XIV has made history with his first papal encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas" ("Magnificent Humanity"), delivered at the Vatican on May 25. In it, he declared that "artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed" — not abandoned, but brought under meaningful human control before it dominates the people it was meant to serve. It's a bold opening move for a new pope stepping into one of the most urgent debates of our time.

The timing was deliberate. Leo signed the document on May 15, the exact anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's famous 1891 encyclical "Rerum novarum," which responded to the upheaval of the industrial revolution. Just as "Rerum novarum" responded to the industrial revolution by emphasising workers' rights and the dignity of human labour, so too Leo XIV has responded to the explosion of AI technology by emphasising the importance of human over machine intelligence. The parallel is clear: new technology, same core question — who does it actually serve?

One of the encyclical's sharpest warnings concerns autonomous weapons. Leo argues that the growing ease of deploying AI-driven military systems makes war more "feasible" and less accountable. Drawing on the nuclear disarmament movement as an analogy, he insists that it is necessary to establish adequate regulatory tools capable of upholding justice and curbing the distorting effects of technological power.

In a striking break with tradition, Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah was invited to speak at the presentation — the first person with no clerical or theological background to appear at such an event. Olah called Leo's call for disarmament "profoundly timely" and urged people outside the tech industry to shape AI governance. The pope accepted, saying the Church would "walk together" with the world to find humanity's path through the AI era.

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📚 Key vocabulary

encyclical (noun)
a formal letter written by the Pope and sent to all Catholic bishops, addressing important religious or social issues
"The company's CEO issued a public statement that carried the weight of an encyclical within the organisation's culture."
disarm (verb)
to remove weapons or dangerous power from something; more broadly, to make something less threatening or harmful
"The new regulations were designed to disarm the most aggressive trading algorithms in financial markets."
autonomous (adj)
able to operate independently, without human control or direction
"The factory introduced autonomous robots that could make production decisions without any human input."
regulatory (adj)
relating to official rules and controls that govern how industries or technologies are used
"The startup struggled to navigate the complex regulatory requirements before launching its new financial product."
governance (noun)
the systems, rules, and processes used to manage and control an organisation, technology, or society
"Strong corporate governance helped the firm rebuild trust with investors after the scandal."

✨ Useful phrases for this topic

"for the common good"
Use this when arguing that a decision, technology, or policy should benefit society as a whole, not just individuals or companies.
"The committee agreed that data collected by the app should be used for the common good, not sold to advertisers."
"walk together"
Use this in professional or diplomatic contexts to signal a willingness to collaborate across differences and move forward as partners.
"Despite their disagreements, both teams agreed to walk together on the project and find a shared solution."
"draw an analogy with"
Use this when you want to explain a complex or new situation by comparing it to something more familiar or well-understood.
"In the meeting, the consultant drew an analogy with the early days of the internet to explain how AI regulation might evolve."

Advanced sentence structures

Patterns from this article you can use in meetings, emails, and everyday English

Structure 1

In context

Just as "Rerum novarum" responded to the industrial revolution by emphasising workers' rights and the dignity of human labour, so too Leo XIV has responded to the explosion of AI technology by emphasising the importance of human over machine intelligence.

The skeleton

Frame: Just as [Subject A] [verb] [situation/challenge] by [verb+ing] [focus], so too [Subject B] has [verb] [parallel situation/challenge] by [verb+ing] [parallel focus].

What it does: Draws a formal parallel between two events or people to show they share the same logic or approach.

Quick swap: "Just as early labour laws responded to factory exploitation by protecting workers' hours, so too modern regulations have responded to the gig economy by guaranteeing minimum pay."

More examples

  • "Just as the printing press transformed access to knowledge by putting books in ordinary hands, so too the internet has transformed communication by connecting billions of people instantly."
  • "Just as the 2008 financial crisis prompted governments to respond by tightening banking rules, so too the pandemic has prompted policymakers to respond by rethinking public health funding."
  • "Just as our parents adapted to rapid urbanisation by building new communities, so too our generation has adapted to remote work by redesigning the boundaries between home and office."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. Leo XIII · workers' rights · the industrial revolution · Leo XIV · AI technology · human dignity · responded to · emphasising · so too · responded to · by emphasising
  2. early environmentalists · fossil fuel pollution · raising public awareness · so too · today's activists · the climate crisis · responded to · by lobbying · responded to · governments directly
Show answers
  • "Just as Leo XIII responded to the industrial revolution by emphasising workers' rights, so too Leo XIV has responded to AI technology by emphasising human dignity."
  • "Just as early environmentalists responded to fossil fuel pollution by raising public awareness, so too today's activists have responded to the climate crisis by lobbying governments directly."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • How two different popes or leaders dealt with the social challenges of their time
  • How your company or industry has adapted to two different waves of technological change
  • How you personally responded to a challenge in the past and how you are responding to a similar challenge now

One possible answer: "Just as newspapers responded to the rise of television by focusing on in-depth reporting, so too many print outlets have responded to social media by investing heavily in podcasting."

Structure 2

In context

"It is necessary to establish adequate regulatory tools capable of upholding justice and curbing the distorting effects of technological power."

The skeleton

Frame: It is necessary to establish [noun phrase] capable of [verb+ing] [goal] and [verb+ing] [problem].

What it does: States that something must be created, and immediately defines what it must be able to do.

Quick swap: "It is necessary to establish clear reporting procedures capable of protecting whistleblowers and preventing the suppression of misconduct."

More examples

  • "It is necessary to establish international standards capable of reducing carbon emissions and ensuring that developing nations are not left behind."
  • "It is necessary to establish independent oversight bodies capable of monitoring data privacy and deterring the misuse of personal information by corporations."
  • "It is necessary to establish flexible training programmes capable of equipping workers with new skills and addressing the growing gap between industry needs and graduate qualifications."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. establish · AI development · adequate tools · curbing · upholding · human dignity · the distorting effects of · capable of
  2. establish · capable of · a fair complaints system · protecting employees · discouraging · management · it is necessary · retaliation by
Show answers
  • "It is necessary to establish adequate tools capable of upholding human dignity and curbing the distorting effects of AI development."
  • "It is necessary to establish a fair complaints system capable of protecting employees and discouraging retaliation by management."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • Rules or systems needed to govern the use of AI in schools or workplaces
  • Policies your organisation or government should create to solve a current problem
  • Infrastructure or services needed to improve daily life in your city or country

One possible answer: "It is necessary to establish transparent hiring guidelines capable of promoting diversity and eliminating unconscious bias from recruitment decisions."

💬 Discussion questions

1

Pope Leo compares AI to nuclear weapons and calls for 'disarmament' — do you think that's a fair comparison, or is it too dramatic?

2

Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah said people 'beyond the incentives' of financial markets need to shape AI governance — what kinds of people or organisations should have a seat at that table, and why?

3

How is AI already changing work in your industry, and do you think the rules around it are keeping up fast enough?

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