Vatican Opens 3-Day AI and Nuclear Summit for 200 Experts, Inspired by Pope Leo XIV
Updated
Updated · ACI Africa · Jul 15
Vatican Opens 3-Day AI and Nuclear Summit for 200 Experts, Inspired by Pope Leo XIV
3 articles · Updated · ACI Africa · Jul 15
Summary
More than 200 academics, innovators and Nobel laureates gathered at the Vatican on July 14 for a three-day summit on AI security, nuclear war and disarmament.
Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas drove the meeting, framing AI around protection of the human person and ethical governance of emerging technology.
Castel Gandolfo’s Borgo Laudato Si' is hosting the sessions through July 16, with talks also covering autonomous weapons, digital protocols and broader AI governance.
A final declaration is due at Rome’s Palazzo Senatorio, calling for “an unarmed and disarming peace” in an age shaped by AI and nuclear risks.
The gathering builds on earlier appeals from participants, including anti-nuclear campaigners, to move beyond deterrence toward dialogue, disarmament and tighter controls on AI-linked threats.
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Charting a Disarmed Future: The 2026 Global Nobel Laureates Assembly and the Rome Declaration on AI, Nuclear Weapons, and Peace
Overview
The Global Nobel Laureates Assembly, held from July 14-16, 2026, opened with the theme inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. This gathering produced the Rome Declaration for a Disarmed and Disarming Peace, which sets out a comprehensive framework to address modern global security and development. The declaration focuses on disarmament, especially regarding nuclear and autonomous weapons. During the assembly, there was significant debate about eliminating nuclear weapons versus strengthening deterrence, but a growing consensus—supported by more religious leaders—pushed the declaration toward advocating for nuclear disarmament as a concrete goal.