Mistral pushes back against Pope’s warning on AI's integration in warfare

French AI startup Mistral AI has defended the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, pushing back against recent criticism sounding from the Vatican and arguing that Europe must develop its own military AI capabilities in response to growing global security threats.

The remarks came from Arthur Mensch, chief executive and co-founder of Mistral, following the release of an encyclical by Pope Leo XIV that warns about the risks of AI militarisation, as highlighted by The Defence Post.

The pontiff called for tighter oversight of artificial intelligence and argued that the use of AI in warfare should face strict ethical limits, especially when lethal decisions are involved.

“We’re all for peace, but if you look at our rivals and adversaries in the world, they’re using artificial intelligence,” Mensch responded to the criticism.

“As long as we have adversaries that are threatening, and they are threatening, we do need to have our own capabilities.”

In his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, the pope argued that society needs “more active political involvement that is capable of slowing things down when everything is accelerating” rather than further weaponisation of emerging technologies.

The Vatican document also warned that AI development is increasingly dominated by powerful private technology companies and called for stronger governance to ensure such technologies serve the public good rather than concentrated corporate interests.

Addressing military applications directly, the pontiff insisted that lethal decisions should never be delegated to artificial intelligence systems.

“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 wrote.

Unstoppable AI rise in warfare technologies

The debate comes as Mistral AI unveiled plans for a new data centre in Les Ulis, France, with 10 megawatts of computing capacity expected to come online in the third quarter of 2026.

The facility forms part of a broader €4 billion investment program aimed at expanding the company’s AI infrastructure across Europe and strengthening so-called sovereign AI capabilities.

Despite growing calls for tighter restrictions on military AI, Mistral argues that advanced artificial intelligence systems are essential for Europe’s security and strategic independence.

The company has already taken a firm stance in the ethical debate surrounding defence applications when Mensch told reporters that Mistral would not intervene in decisions made by defence clients regarding how the company’s technology is ultimately used.

According to the company, defence-related contracts currently account for between 10 and 15 per cent of Mistral’s revenue, with active agreements involving the armed forces of France, Singapore and Luxembourg.

Mistral’s software platform includes autonomous AI agents capable of processing and aggregating large amounts of data from multiple sources.

“It’s very useful in a military headquarters or when faced with tactical coordination questions on the battlefield,” Mensch said.

The company also recently announced a five-year partnership with Airbus that will include collaboration with the European aerospace giant’s defence operations.

Mistral’s smaller AI models could eventually be integrated into weapons systems and defence equipment such as drones, where autonomous capabilities may improve operational effectiveness.

By Nazrin Sadigova