JD Vance has backed Pope Leo’s teaching on artificial intelligence (AI), telling air force graduates he is concerned about its impact on military conflict.
In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, or Magnificent Humanity, the Pope warned AI could lead humanity down a “path of unending war” because of how it can promote misinformation and put weapons “practically beyond” human control.
Vice President Vance, who is a Catholic himself, told US Air Force Academy graduates “the thing I worry about most with AI is how it will change warfare”.
“You are the masters of warfare, and both your minds but also your hearts are the opposite of artificial,” Vance said, “decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines”.
As part of the commencement address on Thursday, he told the 900 graduates to “use technology to make you better, but never submit to it.”
Vance said the American military was “unique [because] we wage war justly”. Donald Trump and his administration have publicly disagreed with Pope Leo on America’s conduct in its war against Iran, with the President calling him “weak” and “terrible”.
“You're the ones who ensure that our lethality in war, which is amazing and necessary [...it] also coexists with our heart and with our conscience”, Vance added.
Pope Leo has suggested the ‘just war’ doctrine is “outdated”. Saint Augustine’s teaching has been followed by the church for centuries, which establishes that wars should only be waged with the intention of restoring peace and never out of a desire for cruelty.
Vance and other officials have invoked the theory to justify American and Israeli strikes on Iran, which began at the end of February.