Less autonomy, more humanity: AI, Autonomous Weapons and the Catholic Church

Aaron Humphriss
28 September 2026, The Tablet

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in daily life and warfare, the prospect of weapons that can select and attack targets without human judgement raises profound ethical questions. Catholic theologians argue why decisions over life and death must never be delegated to machines

Societies are becoming increasingly aware that they are living in a world shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI), prompting widespread public debate about its benefits and risks. AI models have made headlines globally for ‘going rogue’ and hacking companies. To assess what these models are truly capable of when safeguards against misuse are disabled, the AI Security Institute recently set Anthropic’s Mythos 5 and OpenAI’s GPT-5.6-Sol a cybersecurity task.

Get Instant Access

Continue Reading

Subscribe to the Pastoral Review today

From just £19.99 for an annual subscription

  Subscribe to either a print or digital subscription.
  Delivered straight to your door or inbox.

Your quarterly guide to ministry and leadership in the Catholic Church.

Already a subscriber? Login

Article end