Pope Urges “Disarming” Artificial Intelligence to Curb Potential Dangers

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May 26, 2026

Pope calls for artificial intelligence to be 'disarmed' — Pope Leo XIV called for ownership of AI data not to be left solely in private hands

Pope Leo XIV has issued a sweeping appeal to rein in artificial intelligence, urging that the technology be “disarmed” and reshaped into something “human-friendly” as its influence spreads rapidly across economies, politics and daily life.

In his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”), the pope warned that the current surge in AI is being fuelled by “a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets, driven by the desire to secure geopolitical or commercial dominance”.

He also highlighted what he called “new forms of slavery” that can sit behind AI’s rise — from content moderators to miners — while pressing governments to strengthen regulation.

“If technology promises emancipation, yet produces new forms of global subordination, it stands in contradiction to the fundamental principle of human dignity. The fight against new forms of slavery is a decisive test for the ethical discernment of AI,” the pope wrote.

Pope Leo, who has adopted a more forceful tone in recent months and has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump after criticising the Iran war, filled the lengthy document with urgent messages aimed at political and business leaders.

He argued that ownership of AI data should not be confined to private hands, called on policy-makers to defend workers’ rights and keep children safe from the technology, and urged a de-escalation in the competition among AI companies.

Read More: Pope Leo’s first encyclical focuses on AI concerns

“What is needed is a more active political involvement that is capable of slowing things down when everything is accelerating,” he wrote.

Encyclicals are one of the highest forms of teaching from a pontiff.

The text, spanning nearly 43,000 words, has been in the works nearly since Leo’s election as pope a little more than a year ago.

Pope repudiates ‘just war’ theory

Although AI sits at the centre of the encyclical, the pope also turned to global conflict, condemning the scale of war, warning of weakened multilateral organisations, and suggesting that arms industry profits can help propel violence.

“The past 60 years have been marked by conflicts of astonishing brutality, often affecting civilian populations on a massive scale,” stated Leo, in the English-language text.

“Humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power, where peace no longer appears as a responsibility to be taken on, but as a fragile interval between conflicts,” he said.

In one of the most explicit papal repudiations to date of the “just war” theory — a doctrine used by the Church since at least the fifth century to assess conflict — Leo argued the framework no longer holds.

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The doctrine, which generally says that wars ⁠should only be waged in order to defend against aggression, has also been invoked by Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, to defend the Iran war.

“The ‘just war’ theory which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated,” wrote Pope Leo.

“The use of force, violence and weapons reflects a relational poverty that always has disastrous consequences for civilian populations.”

He also warned that conflict can be used as political cover at home.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that some leaders may consider armed conflict as an effective way of diverting attention from domestic problems and a cynical tool for managing difficulties,” he stated.

Apology for Church’s role in slavery

On the battlefield, the pope said any use of AI must meet “the most rigorous ethical constraints”, and he described it as “not permissible” to place lethal decisions in the hands of AI systems.

Leo, the 14th pope to choose that name, anchored his arguments in centuries of papal teachings on social justice before confronting the ethical stakes of AI systems.

Pope Leo pictured at the presentation of the encyclical

He pointed in particular to Leo XIII, whose landmark 1891 encyclical demanded better wages and working conditions for labourers during the Industrial Revolution.

Leo XIV said today’s technology economy is generating its own exploitation, including “new forms of slavery” for those who maintain AI systems and for factory workers producing the devices — from computers to smartphones — on which AI is deployed.

“In some regions of the world, children and adolescents work in dangerous conditions, crushing the materials from which rare earth elements are extracted,” he wrote.

“The bodies of these people are scarred, injured and worn down so that computational flow may continue uninterruptedly,” he said. “This reality deeply challenges the moral conscience of our time.”

The pope also confronted the Church’s history, noting it did not strongly condemn transatlantic slavery until the 19th century and offering a personal apology.

“This constitutes a wound in Christian memory,” he wrote. “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”

World urged to address AI risks

Leo said at the outset that he was addressing Catholics and “all people of good will”, and he argued the AI boom raises “crucial questions” about both the technology’s direction and the choices of global leaders guiding it.

Drawing on the biblical account of the Tower of Babel — a people driven by pride to build a tower to reach Heaven, provoking God’s anger — he said the story warns of any project that “aspires to reach heaven without God’s blessing.”

“With the heart of a shepherd and a father, I ask everyone to abandon the construction of yet another Tower of Babel and to join forces in building up the common good,” the pope stated.

He also pushed back against resignation in the face of AI’s scale, insisting the risks remain addressable.

“A subtle temptation may emerge, namely the thought that the problems are too big and we are too small, and that our choices, therefore, cannot make a difference,” he wrote.

“Certainly, not everyone has the same power to make a difference,” Leo said. “Yet, no one is without responsibility. We all have our own areas for action.”

US Strikes Iranian Missile Facilities Despite Ongoing Ceasefire Agreement

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hanad

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May 26, 2026

US attacks missile sites in Iran, despite ceasefire

Fresh US strikes on Iranian targets have injected new volatility into a conflict already straining global energy markets, even as Iran’s top negotiators arrived in Doha for talks aimed at ending the war.

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London Reaches 34.8°C, Shattering May Temperature Record

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hanad

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May 25, 2026

Temperatures in London hit 34.8C as May record broken — A man cools down with a bottle of water during the hot weather in Westminster Bridge, central London

Britain has baked through a record-breaking spring, with temperatures in parts of London soaring to 34.8C — the highest meteorological spring figure ever recorded in the UK.

The provisional reading, logged at Kew Gardens in south-west London, eclipsed the previous May high of 32.8C set in 1922 and matched again in 1944, according to the UK Met Office.

Such milestones are often nudged upward by only fractions of a degree.

But this spike has been anything but marginal: senior meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said much of the UK is running 10C to 15C above average.

If the Kew Gardens temperature is confirmed, it would mean seven of the country’s 12 monthly temperature records have been set since 2003, the Met Office noted.

Forecasters said today’s heat pushed past the old May benchmark at 12 sites spanning Suffolk, Berkshire and Warwickshire.

A previous Met Office study found that surpassing the May record “is around three times more likely now in our current climate than it would have been in a natural climate not impacted by greenhouse gas emissions.”

That shift effectively turns what was once considered a one-in-a-hundred-year event into a one-in-33-year event, it said.

With heatwaves persisting, parts of central and southern England are forecast to hit 33C or even 35C tomorrow.

The contrast with last week has been stark: Scotland dipped to -5C overnight, while daytime temperatures more broadly topped out around 14C to 15C.

“We see these changes happening so much more dramatically,” Mr Dewhurst said, arguing that climate change is lifting temperatures.

“In the past, heatwaves built and built and built and built over days and days and days – these now just develop so quickly.

“It’s huge sort of swinging temperatures, and obviously records being broken by day and by night, so it just shows sort of how extreme the weather can change, and how quickly it can change, as well.”

An amber health warning has been issued by the UKHSA as a result of the heat

He added that, because of climate change, meteorological models are pointing to “more extreme heat, more extreme weather events” alongside “hotter, drier summers – wetter, windier winters”.

As the bank holiday weekend heat bites, South East Water apologised and distributed bottled water after about 502 customers reported problems such as outages and low pressure.

The spell has also delivered a new warmest May night: yesterday, temperatures at Kenley Airfield in Surrey did not drop below 19.4C.

The previous record for May was 18.9C, set in 1944.

Read more:
28.4C in Carlow as Ireland could break May record this week

The May high record was surpassed in: Heathrow, Greater London (34.4C); Northolt, Greater London (34.2C); Teddington Bushy Park, Middlesex (34C); Benson, Oxfordshire (33.6C); Wisley, Surrey (33.3C); Reading University, Berkshire (33.2C); Wellesbourne, Warwickshire (33.2C); Cippenham, Berkshire (33.0C); Brize Norton, Oxfordshire (32.9C); Charlwood, Surrey (32.9C); Houghton Hall, Norfolk (32.9C) and Santon Downham, Suffolk (32.9C).

It was matched at Marham, Norfolk and Woburn, Bedfordshire.

“This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone in May,” the Met Office said.

Some showers could reach eastern Scotland tomorrow, but for most places the heat is expected to hold.

Forecasters said the day’s warmth could trigger thunderstorms in parts of England tomorrow evening.

Temperatures are expected to begin easing gradually from midweek, though conditions should stay largely dry with sunny spells.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued its first amber health alert of 2026 on Friday, warning that there is a risk of a significant impact across health and social care services. The alert will remain in place until Wednesday.

Swimmers at Shadwell Basin in Wapping

Alongside the health warning, the AA cautioned that a vehicle’s interior can climb to 60C when the outside temperature is 27C.

The breakdown service advised drivers to take breaks about every two hours, avoid travelling during the hottest parts of the day, and carry water and snacks.

“Drivers should never leave children, vulnerable passengers or pets inside a parked vehicle, even for a short time,” it said.

The AA also warned that hot weather increases the likelihood of blowouts from damaged or poorly inflated tyres and can put extra pressure on coolant systems, urging motorists to check both.

Four Dead in Eastern Ukraine as Fighting and Attacks Escalate

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hanad

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May 25, 2026

Four killed in eastern Ukraine as attacks intensify — Firefighters search for the bodies under the rubble following a Russian airstrike on a house in Kramatorsk, Ukraine

Fresh Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine left at least four people dead and more than a dozen wounded, officials said, as both sides continue trading attacks in a war now in its fifth year.

In the town of Dergachi in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, two men aged 68 and 25 were killed and almost two dozen others were wounded, regional governor Oleg Synegubov said.

Russian forces occupied swathes of the Kharkiv border region when they invaded in 2022, but were pushed back months later in a Ukrainian offensive that embarrassed the Kremlin.

In a separate strike farther south-east, an attack on Kramatorsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region killed two people, the city’s mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko said on Facebook.

Earlier, Ukrainian strikes killed six people, including two children, in occupied Ukraine, as well as in the Russian border regions of Belgorod and Bryansk, local authorities said.

Ukraine regularly targets Russia in retaliation for the daily bombardments it has been subjected to since the start of the large-scale Russian offensive in February 2022.

Four people, among them two children, were killed in the frontline town of Gorlivka in the occupied Donetsk region, the local Moscow-installed administration said.

“As a result of Ukrainian armed aggression in the Kalininsky district of Gorlovka, four civilians have been killed, including two children born in 2012 and 2013,” mayor Ivan Prikhodko said, using a Russian spelling for the town.

During the early hours, two people died after Ukrainian drones attacked the western Russian border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod, local authorities said.

The reports came after intense Russian bombardments over the weekend that particularly targeted Kyiv, with Moscow using a nuclear-capable missile, killing four people and wounding more than 100, Ukrainian authorities said.

The aftermath of missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine

Russia said the raid was in retaliation for a Ukrainian drone attack on educational buildings in the Russian-occupied Lugansk region that left 21 dead and more than 40 injured.

The latest exchanges come as the front lines remain effectively deadlocked, while both armies increasingly rely on swarms of explosive-laden drones to strike targets behind the battlefield.

Moscow’s invasion, intended to force the swift capitulation of Kyiv, has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, killing hundreds of thousands of people on both sides and displacing millions.

Russia and Ukraine have intensified deadly strikes in recent weeks as US-led efforts to end the war have stalled, with Washington’s attention diverted to the Middle East.

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Kremlin says won’t pass on Russian director’s call to end war to Putin

The Kremlin said it will not relay to President Vladimir Putin an appeal by Russian film director Andrei Zvyagintsev – delivered in a speech at the Cannes Film Festival – urging him to “end the slaughter” in Ukraine.

Accepting the Grand Prix prize for his film “Minotaur” at the weekend, Mr Zvyagintsev addressed Mr Putin directly, arguing the Russian leader was the “only person” who could stop the war and condemning the Kremlin’s full-scale offensive against Ukraine.

Andrey Zvyagintsev winner of the Grand Prix Award for ‘Minotaur’ at a press conference in Cannes

Asked whether the remarks would be conveyed to Mr Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “I for one, will not do it. I do not think that anyone else will do it.”

Mr Peskov said Mr Zvyagintsev did “not have the right” to make such statements, because he has not criticised Kyiv.

In his Cannes speech, Mr Zvyagintsev said he understood Mr Putin would not be watching, but believed “there are people in his entourage that know how to pass on these words to him”.

“Millions of people from both sides of the contact line are dreaming just of one thing: for the massacres to stop,” he told Mr Putin.

“You are the only person that can stop this meat grinder, Mr President of Russia. Stop this slaughter already.”

Mr Zvyagintsev’s film follows a provincial Russian businessman whose life unravels as he is forced to decide which employees to send to fight in Ukraine, portraying the pressures of life in wartime Russia.

The Kremlin said last week it was too early to say whether “Minotaur” would receive permission to be screened in Russia, which introduced sweeping censorship after troops were sent into Ukraine in 2022.

But Mr Zvyagintsev said he believes many Russians will still find a way to watch “Minotaur”, pointing to film piracy and VPNs.

Maxkamada Sare oo ansixisay natiijada doorashada KoofurGalbeed

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Mahad

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May 25, 2026

May 25(Jowhar)-Maxkamadda Sare Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya ayaa maanta ansixisay natiijadi doorashoyinkii Golayaasha deeggaanka iyo Wakiiladda Dowlad Goboleedka Koonfur Galbeed ee guddiga doorashoyinka iyo Soohdimuha Qaranku usoo gudbiyeen Maxkamadda Sare ee dalka.

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Madaxweyne Xasan oo la kulmay Abwaano Soomaaliyeed

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Mahad

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May 25, 2026

May 25(Jowhar) – Madaxweynaha Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya Mudane Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud ayaa maanta kulan muhiim ah la qaatay qaar ka mid ah Abwaanada Soomaaliyeed,

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Scientists discover rare blue deep-sea octopus in ocean depths

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hanad

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May 25, 2026

'It's blue'- scientists find new deep-sea octopus — The team at the Field Museum used CT scans to take thousands of X-ray images of the specimen they were sent (Credit: Charles Darwin Foundation)

A camera feed from a scientist-controlled submersible near the Galapagos Islands suddenly delivered an unexpected star: a mysterious octopus, ocean-blue and roughly the size of a golf ball, resting on the seafloor.

“He’s tiny! It’s blue!” one scientist exclaimed on the recorded footage as the cerulean cephalopod came into view.

Researchers from the Charles Darwin Foundation say the encounter led to the identification of a previously unknown octopus species found nearly 1,800 metres below the surface, according to new research.

“Right away, I knew it was something really special,” said octopus specialist Janet Voight, who was asked to determine what the team had found.

Initially, the curator at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History had only photographs to work from.

Later, the preserved specimen arrived by mail.

“When it arrived, I was like ‘Oh! My goodness! It’s beautiful’,” Voight said.

The team at the Field Museum used CT scans to take thousands of X-ray images of the specimen they were sent (Credit: Charles Darwin Foundation)

The tiny animal caught her attention quickly, in part because the closest known octopus with a similar shape lives off Uruguay — in a different ocean on the far side of South America.

Describing a new octopus species typically requires dissecting a specimen to study key anatomy such as the mouth, beak, teeth and other structures.

“We only had the one specimen, so I didn’t want to take it apart,” Voight said.

To avoid damaging the only example, the Field Museum team turned to CT scanning, producing thousands of X-ray images and assembling them into a 3D model that revealed the octopus’s internal features.

“There’s nothing like spending the day looking at something no other human has ever seen,” said Stephanie Smith, head of the museum’s X-ray lab, in a statement.

‘Deep purple’

The newly described species — Microeledone galapagensis — draws interest for more than its striking blue colour, which is believed to be the rarest in nature.

It also appears to be a small outlier within the Megaleledonidae family, a group whose members are usually much larger and associated with the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

“Its stubby little arms with only one row of suckers set it apart from most octopus we are familiar with,” Voight said.

And even among “other species with short little arms and a single sucker row, its colouration and smooth skin on the back surface separate it”, she added.

Voight said the animal is pale blue across its back, but underneath it turns a “very deep purple”.

“We think this colour pattern helps keep it safe. If the octopus grabs a prey item that emits light, that light may attract predators that might then eat the octopus,” she explained.

The new species is named Microeledone galapagensis (Credit: Charles Darwin Foundation)

“So the octopus puts its dark-coloured web over the prey item, keeping itself safe.”

Finding previously unknown octopus species in the deep sea is not as rare as it might sound, researchers say — especially in regions that remain scarcely explored, a category that covers much of the ocean floor.

“If you took all the land on Earth and pieced it together, you would not cover the Pacific Ocean,” Voight noted.

She said the last new octopus she encountered was in 2023, off Costa Rica.

The first sighting of the newly described blue octopus occurred in 2015 near Darwin Island, named for the English scientist whose Galapagos visit helped shape his theory of evolution.

Voight’s research on the species has been published in the journal Zootaxa.

Xeer Ilaaliyaha Qaranka oo 40 cisho kadib war kasoo saaray xarriga Sacdiya Bajaaj

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aden

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May 25, 2026

May 25(Jowhar) Xeer Ilaaliyaha Guud ee Qaranka, Suleymaan Maxamed Maxamuud, ayaa shaaciyay in kiiska Sacdiya Bajaaj dhawaan la horgeyn doono maxkamadaha dalka.

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Bulshada Rayidka oo madaxeyne Xasan la wadaagtay walaaca ka dhashay xiliga kala guurka dalka

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aden

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May 25, 2026

May 25(Jowhar) Madaxweynaha Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya Mudane Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud ayaa kulan la qaatay bulshada rayidka ah ee Soomaaliyeed, kuwaas oo uu kala hadlay dhammaystirka hannaanka dimuqraadiyadeed ee dalka, dhismaha dowladnimada iyo horumarka laga xaqiijiyey amniga, maamul wanaagga iyo doorashooyinka dadweynaha ee qof iyo codka ah.

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Pope Leo’s First Encyclical Warns of Growing Artificial Intelligence Risks

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hanad

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May 25, 2026

Pope Leo's first encyclical focuses on AI concerns — Pope Leo XIV at the presentation of the encyclical, which was published by the Vatican

The Vatican has released Pope Leo XIV’s long-awaited first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas — “Magnificent Humanity” — a major new teaching focused squarely on artificial intelligence.

The pope signed the text on 15 May, deliberately timing it to coincide with the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, the landmark encyclical issued by the previous pontiff to take the name Leo, Pope Leo XIII.

Rerum Novarum tackled the social and economic shocks unleashed by the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s.

Now, Pope Leo XIV has turned to what he framed as the defining upheaval of the present age: Artificial Intelligence.

In an unusual Vatican first, the pope appeared in the Synod Hall for the document’s publication, where it was presented to the Curia, diplomats and the media.

That style of rollout — a pope attending the presentation of his own encyclical — marks a notable break with routine and underscored the weight Pope Leo attaches to the text.

Attention quickly shifted to who would stand with him as the document was unveiled.

Pope Leo shakes hands with Christopher Olah ahead of the presentation

Seated beside a panel of cardinals and theologians was Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, one of the world’s most influential AI companies.

Mr Olah helped establish the US firm in 2021. Anthropic is behind the AI system Claude.

He has described Anthropic as an AI lab focused on the safety of large models.

By placing Mr Olah alongside senior church figures, the Vatican spotlighted the intersection of ethics, policy and power that increasingly surrounds AI.

Anthropic attracted the anger of the Trump administration earlier this year after it declined a Pentagon request for unconditional use of its Claude AI models.

The dispute escalated to the point where the US president called for the government to “immediately” stop using Anthropic technology.

Anthropic pledged to sue over what it described as “intimidation” and maintained that its systems should not be used for mass surveillance of US citizens or deployed in fully autonomous weapons systems.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon confirmed it had struck agreements with seven AI companies — not including Anthropic — to deploy advanced capabilities on the US Department of Defense’s classified networks, part of an effort to broaden the pool of AI firms working across the military.

Some observers say Mr Olah’s presence at the Vatican event could intensify the public dispute between Pope Leo and Donald Trump, which has sharpened in recent weeks.

Christopher Olah joined a panel of theologians and cardinals at the presentation

Last week, Pope Leo issued a forceful warning about autonomous weapons and the militarisation of emerging technology during a speech at Rome’s La Sapienza University, criticising the direction of AI use in current global conflicts.

He said heavy AI investment and high-tech weapons were pushing the world into a “spiral of annihilation”.

The Vatican’s interest in artificial intelligence did not begin with this encyclical.

Technology professionals in Silicon Valley alerted the Holy See to the scale of what was coming as early as 2016.

Those in Silicon Valley urged senior Vatican figures — including Bishop Paul Tighe, who is from Co Meath — to begin grappling with the issue.

Contacts between Vatican officials and Silicon Valley representatives have continued over a decade.

In that time, the Vatican has acknowledged AI’s potential benefits, particularly in medicine and education.

At the same time, it has signalled deep concern about how the technology can be exploited.

The pope has also raised alarms about job losses linked to AI.

In an irony that highlights the moment, Mr Olah’s company is currently looking for new offices in Dublin as it expands its EU Headquarters.

In March, the IDA said Anthropic had announced plans to significantly expand its Dublin presence over the coming year.

Even so, Central Statistics Office figures released last week pointed to a fall in employment levels in the tech sector.

Beyond labour issues and threats to jobs, the encyclical is set to address themes including justice, peace and morality.

The substantial document is expected to serve as the first major signpost in Catholic teaching on artificial intelligence — and to shape Pope Leo’s pontificate in the years ahead.

Pope Urges “Disarming” Artificial Intelligence to Curb Potential Dangers

US Strikes Iranian Missile Facilities Despite Ongoing Ceasefire Agreement

London Reaches 34.8°C, Shattering May Temperature Record

Four Dead in Eastern Ukraine as Fighting and Attacks Escalate

Maxkamada Sare oo ansixisay natiijada doorashada KoofurGalbeed

Madaxweyne Xasan oo la kulmay Abwaano Soomaaliyeed

Scientists discover rare blue deep-sea octopus in ocean depths

Xeer Ilaaliyaha Qaranka oo 40 cisho kadib war kasoo saaray xarriga Sacdiya Bajaaj

Bulshada Rayidka oo madaxeyne Xasan la wadaagtay walaaca ka dhashay xiliga kala guurka dalka

Pope Leo’s First Encyclical Warns of Growing Artificial Intelligence Risks

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