Nobel Laureates Sign Rome Declaration on AI and Nuclear Risks

Global experts unite on existential threats

More than 200 Nobel laureates, scientists, religious leaders, and former heads of state gathered in Rome on July 16, 2026, to sign the "Rome Declaration for an Unarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear and Autonomous Weapons." The signing at Rome's Capitoline Hill concluded the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, a three-day event hosted by the Vatican.

The assembly drew inspiration from Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica humanitas, which addresses safeguarding human dignity in the AI era. Participants convened at the Vatican's Borgo Laudato si' in Castel Gandolfo before moving to Rome's City Hall for the declaration ceremony.

Core principles demand human control

Cardinal Baldo Reina, Vicar General of Rome, emphasized that the declaration arrives during a period of "rapid transformation and profound risks" including AI proliferation, nuclear weapons expansion, and geopolitical instability. He stressed that no machine or algorithm should control decisions affecting human survival.

"Decisions concerning life and death, peace and war, and the future of peoples and generations yet to come must remain under full, responsible, and meaningful human control," Cardinal Reina said.

Father Andrea Ciucci, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, noted the dual nature of human innovation, observing that "AI can move human beings to build or to destroy."

Why it matters

The declaration represents a coordinated response from the scientific and religious communities to two converging threats: the erosion of nuclear arms control treaties and the rapid advancement of autonomous weapons systems. With nine nations now possessing nuclear capabilities and AI increasingly integrated into military decision-making, the signatories argue that meaningful human oversight is becoming both more critical and more difficult to maintain. The Vatican's convening power brought together voices that rarely share a platform, creating potential momentum for policy changes at national and international levels.

Accelerating arms race raises alarm

Professor David Gross, Nobel Prize laureate in Physics from the University of California, warned that the nuclear threat has intensified significantly over three decades. He cited the disappearance of arms control treaties and the expansion of nuclear powers as evidence of an accelerating arms race.

"We are in the middle of an accelerated arms race," Gross said, urging nuclear nations to adopt policies that reduce the risk of annihilation. He emphasized that current generations bear responsibility not only for their own survival but for that of their children and grandchildren.

Professor Daniel Holz, Founding Director of the Existential Risk Lab at the University of Chicago, acknowledged the "unprecedented danger" while noting that concrete actions can improve safety from both nuclear weapons and AI.

Declaration calls for renewed cooperation

The Rome Declaration calls for renewed international cooperation in the face of challenges posed by nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence. Peace Ambassador Sharon Stone, speaking at the event, argued that as machine capabilities expand, the moral responsibilities of their creators must grow proportionally. "Human dignity is not an algorithm," she said.

Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi and Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Maria Ressa of Columbia University also addressed the assembly, focusing on the arms race and the need for moral guidance during this period of heightened risk.

The event and declaration were first reported by Vatican News, which covered the assembly from July 14-16, 2026.