- Pope Francis: ‘No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human’
- The 87-year-old became the first pontiff to address the G7 summit on Friday
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and world leaders beamed as they met the Pope
Pope Francis warned world leaders that ‘no machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being,’ as he spoke about the risks posed by AI while becoming the first pontiff to ever address the G7 summit.
Moments earlier, the Pope, 87, entered the room in a wheelchair and greeted each of the leaders in turn, including a beaming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who warmly shook hands with the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis, who had travelled some 260 miles from his home in The Vatican for Friday’s event, was also pictured being welcomed by President Biden and President Zelenskyy, Sky News reports.
Other dignitaries at the summit, which is being held in Italy’s Puglia region, included Argentinian President Javier Milei and Jordan’s King Abdullah, from whom he received a hug.
All the core G7 countries, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US were represented.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak beamed as he met Pope Francis at the G7 summit in Italy on Friday

The 87-year-old became the first pontiff to address the G7, which is being held in Puglia, southern Italy this year

The Pope smiles next to all the G7 representatives on Friday, including leaders from Canada , France , Germany , Italy, Japan, the UK and United States

In his historic address to the summit, Pope Francis addresses the risks posed by AI and said ‘no machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being’
The leaders of India, Brazil, Turkey, Algeria, Kenya and Tunisia were also in attendance.
In his historic address to the leading politicians, Pope Francis said humans needed to remain at the centre of any decisions made by AI systems and that it was vital to maintain ‘human dignity’ in any processes used.
He was especially emphatic on the need for humans to make decisions, not machines, when it came to using weapons.
‘We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people´s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines,’ he said.
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His words echoed those of his annual peace message earlier this year, which called for an international treaty to ensure AI is developed and used ethically.
The Pope specifically said that AI without the human values of compassion, mercy, morality and forgiveness is too perilous to develop unchecked.
A statement from the G7 leaders echoed the Pope’s sentiments.
They vowed to better coordinate the governance and regulatory frameworks surrounding AI to keep it ‘human-centered.’
At the same time, they acknowledged the potential impacts on the labor markets of machines taking the place of human workers.
‘We will pursue an inclusive, human-centered, digital transformation that underpins economic growth and sustainable development, maximizes benefits, and manages risks, in line with our shared democratic values and respect for human rights,’ they said.
On the weapons issue, the G7 leaders said they recognized the impact of AI in the military domain ‘and the need for a framework for responsible development and use.’

Standing ovation: Pope Francis is greeted by Turkey’s President Erdogan, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other leaders seen in the background

Thumbs up for Joe: President Biden shares warm words with the head of the Roman Catholic Church at the meeting on Friday

French President Emmanuel Macron smiles as the 87-year-old pontiff arrives at the G7 summit

Pope Francis with Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s Prime Minister, who personally invited him to the summit, much to the delight of his fellow G7 attendees
They encouraged states to make sure ‘military use of AI is responsible, complies with international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and enhances international security.’
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni had invited Pope Francis and announced his participation, much to the delight of his fellow G7 attendees.