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AI for peace: In Rome, Nobel laureates call for disarming AI and nuclear weapons

Bulletin, By François Diaz-Maurin, John Mecklin | Analysis | July 17, 2026

ROME—In a future nuclear crisis, the speed of artificial intelligence may leave little room for human judgment or decision-making. Other AI impacts—its potential to empower destabilizing cyber-attacks or allow for the near-instantaneous generation of disinformation—increase the odds of such a crisis occurring in the first place. Touching on these themes and others, an international group of Nobel Prize winners issued a pointed warning Thursday on emerging nuclear risks in an era of rapidly developing AI technology.

The group’s declaration, titled Humanity at the Threshold: A Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Weapons, followed two days of meetings among the Nobel laureates, top scientific and policy experts, and religious leaders in the Papal Villas of Castel Gandolfo, a summer retreat for popes since the 1600s.

Dubbed The Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, the meetings included expert presentations on eight themes related to the rapid advance of AI models, their use in military systems that include command and control of nuclear weapons, and the practical and ethical challenges connected to efforts to reduce the dangers that the AI-nuke nexus poses to humanity.

The assembly followed recent efforts at highlighting the risks posed by the ongoing AI and nuclear arms races. Last year, the Nobel Laureate Assembly for the Prevention of Nuclear War met at the University of Chicago and issued a declaration calling on policymakers and leaders to reduce the threat of nuclear war. And earlier this month, the United Nations published its first scientific assessment report on the opportunities, risks, and impacts of AI; the assessment explains how the technology could exacerbate global inequality.

But this week marked the first time that such a large and diverse gathering of scientists, experts, activists, and religious leaders addressed, in concert, the risks of AI and nuclear weapons.

The Rome Declaration presented a harrowing description of the problem:

AI built into nuclear systems leaves little time for, or even replaces, human judgement in a crisis. This technology changes the context in which nuclear-armed states compete with each other. … AI uplifts cyber attacks that can fracture critical civilian and strategic infrastructure. AI enables information warfare: Peace depends on a shared reality. Without facts there can be no truth; without truth there can be no trust; and without trust, no dialogue, no verification, and no restraint among nations.

The most advanced AI capabilities, computing resources, and data infrastructures are becoming increasingly concentrated in a small number of countries and corporations, creating significant asymmetries of power and limited incentives for cooperation. AI is a technology that causes economic, military, and social disruption, and is developing at a pace unprecedented in human history.

In the midst of a worsening nuclear arms race, we are embarking on an equally dangerous AI race.

The declaration’s subtitle—Toward an Unarmed and Disarming Peace—reflected the religious underpinnings of the assembly by referencing language Pope Leo XIV used in his May encyclical Magnifica Humanitas: on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. The Vatican was able to convene a diverse group of thought leaders in a way that arguably would not be possible otherwise. It’s a group that could have real impact.

“I might reach a million people,” 2011 Nobel physics laureate Brian Schmidt said. “But the Pope can reach 2 billion. That’s 2,000 times more than me.”………………………………………………………………………….. https://thebulletin.org/2026/07/ai-for-peace-in-rome-nobel-laureates-call-for-disarming-ai-and-nuclear-weapons/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=In%20Rome%2C%20Nobel%20laureates%20call%20for%20disarming%20AI%20and%20nuclear%20weapons&utm_campaign=20260720%20Monday%20Newsletter

July 24, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | weapons and war