‘I don’t think that is fake news as some have said,’ says Leo XIV contradicting Trump on need for AI safety

The pontiff appeared to target US President Donald Trump who has routinely referred to concerns from AI leaders about the rapid pace of development of the technology as a ‘hoax’ stemming from his political opponents. Pope Leo XIV said on Monday that concerns about artificial intelligence going rogue are not “fake news” and should be taken seriously, insisting that safety issues raised by AI experts should be discussed and acted on.
The pontiff, who dedicated his first encyclical to AI and protecting humanity in its wake, was asked during a press conference about what the United States and China especially should be doing to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity.

US President Donald Trump has struck down concerns about AI, its rapid pace of development and potential of going rogue, repeatedly, despite calls from top AI firm executives – including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, downplaying them as a “hoax.”

“This is a problem that, I think, we need to sit down and talk about,” the American pope told reporters onboard a plane back to the Vatican from France, where he had just completed the first apostolic journey to the country in 18 years.
Trump has been a champion of the technology, often warning that the United States must remain ahead of China in the AI arms race. He has said efforts to limit the technology were part of a “conspiracy” by his political opponents.

Several AI giants, including Anthropic, have called for a slowdown in development to give safety measures time to catch up to the fast-moving technology.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, for example, has warned that within six to 12 months, AI could be capable of leading a swarm of agents that could take over the entire internet.

Trump had a late-night dinner with Amodei on Sunday, during which they discussed Americans’ concerns about the technology and how to keep the US dominant, the White House said.

“If someone were to ask me ‘Am I in panic mode?’ No I’m not. I sleep at night,” said the pontiff. “I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI should be taken seriously,” he stressed.

“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 said.