Exclusive: Faith leaders urge Congress to limit AI weapons

What they're saying: "Every great faith tradition teaches us that the taking of a life is a grave and solemn act," 20 religious leaders wrote in a letter shared first with Axios.

• "As a matter of conscience, we believe that such a decision must never be delegated to a machine."

The big picture: The Pentagon's use of AI sparked widespread concern after tensions with Anthropic over the company's red lines around autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.

• "Existing internal Defense Department policy requires that autonomous systems allow commanders to exercise 'appropriate levels of human judgment,' but this guidance is both ill-defined and can be changed at any time by the Secretary of Defense, without congressional approval," the faith leaders wrote.
• The letter was sent to the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.

What we're watching: Congress is gearing up to debate the annual defense policy bill, a potential vehicle for AI guardrails and guidance.