Catholic moral theologians urge US court to set limits on military AI use

A group of Catholic moral theologians has asked a federal appeals court to establish defined normative boundaries for the use of artificial intelligence in warfare. In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the scholars support Anthropic’s request for an en banc hearing in a legal dispute between the company and the U.S. government.

The theologians, including University of Dayton professor Jana Bennett, Father Michael Baggot from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, and Loyola University Chicago philosophy professor Joe Vukov, stated they support the company's ethical stance against using AI for lethal autonomous warfare and mass domestic surveillance. The scholars cited Catholic teachings on privacy to argue against mass surveillance.

The legal conflict follows the U.S. Department of War's decision to end its contract with Anthropic after the company refused to provide technology for lethal autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance. The government subsequently labeled the California-based developer a national security risk, a decision the D.C. appeals court upheld in September.