Pope Leo XIV Warns AI Dangers Are Not Fake News in Rebuke of Trump

Papal Response to Dismissals of AI Risk

The remarks from the pontiff served as a direct rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump. During an address to the U.N. General Assembly the week prior, Mr. Trump characterized fears concerning the dangers of artificial intelligence to humanity as a hoax. Pope Leo rejected this characterization outright while speaking to journalists.

“I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously,” the Pope stated during the flight back to Rome following a four-day official trip to France. “I don’t think that that is fake news, as some have said.”

Throughout his 16 months leading the Catholic Church, the pontiff has repeatedly warned about the ethical and existential dangers tied to rapid technological advancement. His latest comments emphasize that international dialogue and academic study must remain prioritized to prevent catastrophic outcomes.

Scepticism Toward Tech Industry Guardrails

The pontiff noted he had read earlier that day about the head of chipmaker Nvidia announcing a potential method to insert guardrails into specific AI models.

Despite this announcement, the Pope expressed clear scepticism, pointing to conflicting messaging from corporate leadership. “He’s the same one, however, that says there should be no limits placed and no government regulation,” Pope Leo observed.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang stated in an interview with CBS News earlier in the month that he shared the perspective that safety concerns surrounding artificial intelligence were significantly overblown. That corporate stance on deregulation directly counters the precautionary framework advocated by the Vatican.

Call for Ongoing Global Investigation

Rather than adopting a passive approach to technological development, the pontiff urged the global community to engage in rigorous study and investigation. The stated objective is to ensure automated systems never reach a threshold where they could threaten human survival.

“I think that there are enough people seriously interested in that … but we have to keep working,” the Pope said. “We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing’s going to happen.”