Pope Puts AI at Heart of Peace Day

Pope Leo XIV has chosen technology, disarmament and political accountability as the theme for World Peace Day 2027. He is paying particular attention to the risks of using artificial intelligence in decision-making regarding military operations, according to the EWTN News website.

The theme of the 60th World Day of Peace, which falls on 1 January 2027, will be “Disarmament through Technology, Service to Peace. Politics as a Preventive Responsibility”, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced on Tuesday.

In presenting the theme, the Vatican recalled the Pope’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and his call to political leaders to prioritize humanitarian principles and human responsibility when using new technologies.

“No algorithm can make war morally acceptable”, Pope Leo XIV said. The Pope also warned against delegating military decision-making to artificial intelligence. He therefore called on the international community to establish common rules that will preserve human responsibility in situations where human lives and peaceful coexistence are at risk.

(mja)