Pope Leo has said warnings that artificial intelligence could destroy humanity should be treated seriously, directly challenging the dismissal of such concerns as “fake news”. His comments came as US President Donald Trump prepares to meet technology executives for talks on AI at the White House on Tuesday.
The first US pope made the remarks during a press conference on his flight back to Rome after a 4-day trip to France. He said concerns raised by AI experts and specialists should not be ignored, adding that he did not consider them “fake news”.
Trump told the UN General Assembly last week that fears about the dangers artificial intelligence poses to humanity were a “hoax”. Leo's comments therefore appeared to rebuke the US president's position, although the pope did not name Trump while discussing the issue.
Pope Leo calls for AI safeguards
Leo has warned about the dangers of AI throughout his 16-month papacy. He urged the world to promote dialogue, study and investigation to prevent the technology from reaching a point where it could destroy humanity.
The pope also criticised technology executives who have argued against guardrails on AI. He said he had read that Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang had announced there could be a way to place safeguards into certain AI models.
Leo remained sceptical, noting that Huang was also the person who had said there should be no limits or government regulation imposed on the technology.
Huang told CBS News this month that he agreed with Trump that concerns about AI safety had been overstated. The contrasting positions highlight the dispute over whether governments should impose stronger controls as companies continue developing AI systems.
Trump's planned meeting with technology leaders
Trump is scheduled to meet technology CEOs on Tuesday. The discussions are expected to include AI safety, regulation and the balance between oversight and innovation.
Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Anthropic's Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Greg Brockman are among those expected to meet Trump and House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, according to people familiar with the matter. Possible attendees also include Google CEO Sundar Pichai and SpaceXAI executive Elon Musk.
Johnson said the talks would focus on balancing innovation with oversight. He also warned that the US could lose the AI race to China if it chooses to “hyper-regulate” the technology.
Leo said people seriously concerned about AI must continue working on the issue rather than assuming nothing will happen. His message places the focus on continued research, discussion and safeguards while governments and technology companies debate how much oversight is appropriate.
Conclusion
Pope Leo's remarks put AI's potential risks and the question of government safeguards at the centre of the discussion ahead of Trump's meeting with technology leaders. The next reported step is Tuesday's White House talks on innovation and oversight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What did Pope Leo say about AI risks?
Pope Leo said concerns that artificial intelligence could destroy humanity should be taken seriously and are not “fake news”.
Q. Who did Pope Leo appear to challenge?
His remarks appeared to challenge US President Donald Trump, who described fears about AI's dangers to humanity as a “hoax” at the UN General Assembly last week.
Q. Why did Pope Leo mention Jensen Huang?
Leo referred to Huang's comments about possible safeguards for certain AI models while also pointing to Huang's opposition to limits and government regulation.
Q. Who is meeting Donald Trump about AI?
Expected participants include Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, Dario Amodei and Greg Brockman. Possible attendees include Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk.
Q. What will the White House talks focus on?
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the talks would address the balance between AI innovation and government oversight.
Q. What does Pope Leo want governments and experts to do?
He called for dialogue, study and investigation so AI does not reach a point where it could destroy humanity.
