Pope Leo Calls AI Existential Risk a Serious Concern, Rebuking Trump and Tech Leaders

Pope Leo on Monday asserted that concerns about artificial intelligence leading to human destruction should be taken seriously, directly challenging recent dismissals of such risks by U.S. President Donald Trump. The pontiff, speaking to reporters, emphasized that expert warnings on the matter are not "fake news."

Papal Intervention on AI Risk

During a press conference on his flight back to Rome, Pope Leo addressed the escalating debate over AI safety. "I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously," he stated, according to Reuters. "I don’t think that that is fake news, as some have said."

The comments appeared to be a direct rebuke of President Trump, who last week told the United Nations General Assembly that he believed fears about AI's dangers to humanity were a "hoax." The pope has frequently warned about the dangers of advanced technology during his 16-month papacy.

Scrutiny on Tech Leadership

Pope Leo also specifically criticized technology executives who advocate against government oversight. He referenced recent comments from the head of chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA), Jensen Huang, noting a perceived contradiction.

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While acknowledging that Huang had mentioned the possibility of building in guardrails, the pope expressed skepticism, adding: "He’s the same one, however, that says there should be no limits placed and no government regulation." According to a recent CBS News interview, Huang agreed with President Trump that safety concerns about AI were overblown.

White House Meeting Looms

The Pope's intervention comes just a day before President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson are scheduled to meet with top technology CEOs to discuss AI. The meeting is expected to include:

• Jensen Huang (Nvidia)
• Mark Zuckerberg (Meta)
• Dario Amodei (Anthropic)
• Greg Brockman (OpenAI)

According to sources familiar with the matter, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and SpaceXAI executive Elon Musk may also attend. Speaker Johnson said the talks aim to find a balance between innovation and oversight, warning that the U.S. risks falling behind China if it chooses to "hyper-regulate" the industry. The Pope urged global leaders "to find ways to make sure that AI does not get to a point where it could destroy humanity."