Pope Leo XIV: AI Safety Concerns Are Not 'Fake News'
Pope Leo XIV has stated that AI safety fears are not "fake news" and should be taken seriously, contradicting recent claims by Donald Trump. He made these remarks during a press conference on his flight back to Rome from a four-day trip to France.
"I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously," Leo stated. "I don’t think that that is fake news, as some have said, to try and cause whether financial or some other kind of benefit."
Leo's criticism of Jensen Huang
Regarding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's opposition to AI limitations, Pope Leo XIV questioned his stance: "He’s the same one, however, that says there should be no limits placed and no government regulation."
The pope emphasized the Church's desire to promote ongoing dialogue, study, and investigation into AI. "We need to continue to invite political leaders, the leaders of AI, social organizations, associations to come together...to look at what is happening already and what could be down the road," he said. His ultimate goal: prevent AI from reaching a point where it could threaten humanity or remove humanity from the conversation.
Background on Pope Leo XIV's Stance on AI
Leo, the first American pope, has made AI a central theme of his papacy. His encyclical Magnifica Humanitas (The Splendor of Human Nature) issued in May warned about the potential negative impacts of AI on human judgment, inequality, and democracy. Last week, he addressed AI ethics at UNESCO in Paris.
Upcoming AI Discussions
Next Tuesday, Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson will host a meeting at the White House with tech leaders including Jensen Huang from Nvidia, Mark Zuckerberg from Meta, and Dario Amodei from Anthropic. The focus of these discussions is expected to be finding a balance between AI innovation and oversight.