New York: The Vatican has urged the international community to adopt an immediate moratorium on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), stressing that the rapid advance of artificial intelligence must remain firmly anchored in human dignity and the common good. The appeal came from Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, during a high-level UN Security Council debate on Artificial Intelligence and International Peace and Security.
Archbishop Gallagher noted that AI innovations are transforming education, healthcare, communication, governance, and military operations, offering unprecedented opportunities to advance human rights and development. Yet, he warned, without strong ethical and legal safeguards, AI risks becoming a source of division and instability. “If the development and use of AI are not firmly anchored in respect for human dignity and the pursuit of the common good, they risk becoming instruments of aggression with the potential to fuel further conflict,” he said.
Among his strongest appeals was the call for a halt to the development and use of autonomous weapon systems, which operate without human intervention. Archbishop Gallagher described them as posing “grave legal, security, humanitarian, and ethical concerns” since machines lack the irreplaceable human capacity for moral judgment. He affirmed that the Holy See supports a legally binding international treaty to guarantee that life-and-death decisions remain under meaningful human control.
The Vatican diplomat further highlighted the risks of an AI-driven arms race, warning that military integration of AI into missile defense systems, space assets, and nuclear command structures could destabilize international security. Such developments, he said, may lead to “unprecedented uncertainty due to the possibility of miscalculation,” with catastrophic consequences if AI were to play a role in nuclear decision-making.
Archbishop Gallagher urged the Security Council to fulfill its responsibility in monitoring scientific and technological progress, stressing that a human-centered approach must guide AI policy worldwide. “Technology that replaces human judgment in matters of life and death crosses inviolable boundaries that must never be breached,” he declared.
He concluded by emphasizing that international cooperation is indispensable. AI, he said, must not become a tool of destruction but instead be directed toward serving humanity, peace, and justice.
The Holy See’s intervention comes amid growing global debate on regulating artificial intelligence, with particular concern over autonomous weapons and their impact on warfare. The Vatican’s moral appeal underscores the urgency of placing ethical principles at the core of technological governance in the 21st century.