Stop Killer Robots responds to Pope Leo XIV’s call to “disarm AI”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stop Killer Robots responds to Pope Leo XIV’s call to “disarm AI” : “Machines should not make life or death decisions.” 

27 May 2026

Stop Killer Robots, the leading civil society coalition advocating for regulation of AI and automation in the use of force, warmly welcomes  Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical Letter “Magnifica Humanitas” on safeguarding humanity in the time of artificial intelligence. 

Stop Killer Robots has long advocated for several points the Pope made regarding the dangers of these technologies. These include their ability to “lower the threshold to war”, their facilitation of diminished human control over the use of force, and the lack of explainability or accountability for the use of force. 

Stop Killer Robots also champions the solutions the Pope has identified, namely the need for “ a shared framework — also at the international level — in order to curb the technological arms race and ensure robust protection for civilians and the infrastructures necessary for their survival”. 

Nicole van Rooijen, Executive Director at Stop Killer Robots said: 

“The need to safeguard humanity from dehumanising technology that, as Pope Leo rightly identified, “reduc[e] victims to data”, is needed now, more than ever. The rise of unregulated AI and autonomy in warfare in ongoing conflicts have been used to devastating humanitarian effects. The use of military AI in Gaza, Ukraine and most recently, Iran and Lebanon, clearly shows the dangers of these weapons and tools — and states’ inability so far to establish legal red lines is gravely insufficient. Machines should not make life or death decisions. 

2026 provides states with two key opportunities to move toward legal safeguards on autonomy in weapons systems and military AI. In June, states will meet for United Nations consultations on AI in the Military Domain. This is an opportunity for them to better understand the harms of these technologies and discuss solutions to safeguard humanity. 

In November, states will meet for the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Review Conference at the United Nations in Geneva which takes place once every 5 years. This is an unprecedented opportunity for states to launch negotiations on a treaty to regulate and prohibit autonomy in weapons systems. This opportunity must not be squandered. The vast majority of states have now explicitly expressed their support for a new legally binding instrument, and the urgency to move forward cannot be overstated.

//ENDS

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Editor’s Notes 

Formed in 2013, Stop Killer Robots is an international coalition of 300 non-governmental organisations operating in over 70 countries that seeks to counter threats to humanity and human dignity through the adoption of a new international treaty to prohibit and regulate autonomous weapons systems. We support the development of legal and other norms that ensure meaningful human control over the use of force, counter digital dehumanisation, and reduce automated harm.