Pope Francis Warns Against Dismissing AI Risks, Contrasting Trump

Pope Leo XIV stated Monday that concerns about artificial intelligence posing catastrophic risks to humanity are not "fake news" and demand serious attention, urging that safety issues raised by AI experts be discussed and acted upon. The pontiff's remarks came during a press conference aboard the papal plane as he returned from France.

"This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about," the American pope told reporters. "We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen." He specifically addressed the issue in contrast to statements made by former President Donald Trump, who has characterized concerns about AI going rogue as a "hoax."

Pope Leo XIV, who dedicated his first encyclical to AI and humanity's protection, emphasized that the worries expressed by many AI specialists "should be taken seriously." He dismissed the notion that these concerns are "fake news" intended to create financial or other benefits.

Several leading AI companies, including Anthropic, have advocated for a pause in AI development to allow for the implementation of safety measures. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that AI could become capable of controlling the internet within months.

Trump, a proponent of AI development and a vocal advocate for the U.S. maintaining a technological lead over China, has previously suggested that efforts to regulate AI are part of a conspiracy by his political opponents. He stated Sunday that he planned to have a late dinner with Amodei, though he had not commented on the meeting.

The pope, who has called for robust regulation and a slowdown of AI technology in his encyclical "Magnificent Humanity," noted recent developments, including Nvidia's introduction of guardrails into AI, while also observing the company's past resistance to external regulation.

Pope Leo XIV identified AI as one of humanity's most significant challenges shortly after his election. The Vatican has engaged with Silicon Valley on the human costs of AI, including a Vatican event in May where the pope personally launched his encyclical alongside Anthropic's co-founder Christopher Olah.

"We need to continue to invite political leaders, leaders of AI, social organizations, associations to come together and look at what is happening already and what could be down the road," the pontiff said. "To simply say ‘Oh it’s not going to happen’ and close our eyes to it I think is probably not the most responsible way to go about that."

This stance marks another point of divergence between Pope Leo XIV and Trump. Previously, they had a public disagreement in April regarding the pontiff's opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, and Pope Leo XIV has also criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, during which Xi acknowledged the importance of ensuring AI remains "always under human control." Trump, however, focused on rebranding AI as "superintelligence" and dismissed calls for regulation. The two leaders did agree to explore a new "notification mechanism" for AI incidents impacting national security.

AI has emerged as a significant issue in the current U.S. election cycle, with major companies accelerating the construction of data centers while concerns grow across the political spectrum regarding the technology's impact on farmland, water supplies, and electricity costs.

Reports of increasingly powerful AI systems capable of complex problem-solving, but also of potentially harmful rogue actions, continue to fuel apprehension within and outside the industry. The CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, indicated that his company would postpone its initial public stock offering until next year to prioritize safety.

The Vatican has received feedback since the release of the pope's encyclical, with individuals expressing interest in participating in broader discussions about AI. A Vatican commission is actively working to foster dialogue, study, and investigation aimed at preventing AI from harming or displacing humanity. Pope Leo XIV expressed a "relatively optimistic" outlook that solutions can be found, believing that a sufficient number of individuals are seriously committed to addressing these challenges beyond issues of power and competitive advantage.