In his inaugural encyclical, *Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence*, Pope Leo XIV has addressed the growing concerns surrounding artificial intelligence with striking clarity. His exploration of AI's potential benefits and the risks it poses to human rights and dignity has garnered significant international interest.
This past spring, around Holy Week, a priest visited a Ukrainian drone unit stationed near Zaporizhzhia. He offered prayers for the soldiers' safety and blessed a Gara strike drone with holy water prior to its mission against Russian forces. Although this drone still required a human operator, many military technologies anticipated by leading global powers are designed to function autonomously. As these developments continue, the integration of AI in warfare raises alarms regarding the ease of initiating conflicts and the difficulty of managing them.
Pope Leo’s encyclical notably delves into ethical guidelines for the deployment of autonomous weaponry—an aspect that has not been extensively covered. Moreover, it challenges the relevance of the "just war" theory in contemporary conflict, asserting that the notion, often misapplied to justify any war, is increasingly irrelevant in today's landscape. He emphasizes that, while self-defense remains a legitimizing factor, the context of warfare has drastically changed.
While the Pope rightly critiques the misuse of just war theory—urging for greater emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy—the removal of this framework does not inherently lead to peace. Politicians and military leaders will not suddenly become morally upright or less aggressive; they simply lose a longstanding, coherent criterion for evaluating and limiting warfare. What is needed is not the abandonment of just war theory but a modernization that takes into account the evolving nature of conflict.
The current technological landscape, marked by increased media mediation and a lack of direct accountability for decision-making in warfare, complicates the ethical considerations of just war theory. The lessons from history—that war, while often atrocious, can sometimes be necessary—remain entrenched in various cultures and philosophies around the globe.
Historically, figures such as Mencius in ancient China argued against tyrannical rule and offensive wars, while Sun Tzu highlighted the importance of achieving victories without engagement in battle. This philosophical richness underscores the notion that the principles governing warfare transcend cultural boundaries, providing common ground that may serve to mitigate future conflicts.
As military technologies incorporating AI evolve, they further detach the decision-making process from the direct consequences of violence, complicating accountability and thus increasing the likelihood of conflict. The Pope emphasizes that neither speed nor efficiency should overshadow the moral responsibility inherent in war. He insists on maintaining human oversight in lethal operations, cautioning that unjust consequences may arise when accountability is neglected.
Pope Leo’s methodical approach to discussing autonomous weaponry parallels existing military strategies, including the Pentagon's Responsible AI Strategy, which outlines accountability chains for troops and technology alike. However, this professional rationale faces the challenge of executing accountability effectively in a realm increasingly dominated by machine decision-making.
The Pope suggests that war's ethical considerations have not become obsolete, but rather require a new framework for modern application. This view resonates with previous discussions advocating for an update to the traditional just war narrative, particularly in light of the complexities introduced by proxy wars.
The risks of escalation, weapon proliferation, and moral accountability have been recognized by both the Pope and contemporary discussions on warfare, drawing parallels between proxy warfare and the developing landscape of autonomous systems. Such challenges reflect the necessity for an updated framework that can effectively address both contemporary and emerging forms of conflict.
Although there have been talks of replacing the just war theory with a narrower focus on "proportional defense," this approach may limit perspectives on warfare, providing insufficient guidance for military personnel. The Pope has indicated that further theological and pastoral exploration is essential to develop legitimate defense strategies that accommodate modern conflicts.
True revision of just war principles should aim to properly balance the benefits and costs associated with warfare, fostering a closer relationship between actions and their repercussions. Integrating ethical considerations from the outset may prove more effective than retroactively addressing accountability.
The discussions reflecting on these pressing issues place the modern-day priest and his act of blessing a drone in a new light, embodying the age-old dilemma of just warfare. As global conflicts evolve rapidly, the demand for a rigorous ethical framework to critically assess warfare remains ever vital.
