Pope Leo XIV has told reporters that concerns about AI going rogue are not “fake news” and should be taken seriously — a direct contradiction of President Donald Trump, who has dismissed those worries as a “hoax.”
Leo made the comments during a press conference Monday, responding to a question about what the United States and China should do to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity. He said the problem needs real attention, not dismissal.
“This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about. We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen.”
Leo added that he is not panicked, but he believes the experts raising these concerns deserve a serious hearing. “If someone were to ask me ‘Am I in panic mode?’ No I’m not. I sleep at night,” he said. “I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI should be taken seriously.”
He also pushed back against the label Trump has attached to the warnings. “I don’t think that that is ‘fake news’ as some have said to try and cause whether financial or other some other kind of benefit.”
Leo’s Record on AI
Leo has treated AI as a central priority since the start of his papacy. Within days of being elected, he identified AI as one of the biggest challenges to humanity. His first encyclical, titled “Magnificent Humanity,” was dedicated to AI and protecting humanity in its wake.
Leo launched that encyclical alongside Anthropic’s co-founder Christopher Olah at a Vatican event in May. The Vatican’s effort to engage Silicon Valley about the human costs of AI was part of the launch.
The Vatican itself is doing the work. A Vatican commission is working to promote dialogue, study and investigation “to find ways to make sure that AI does not get to a point of destroying humanity or removing humanity from the conversation.”
What Leo Wants From Leaders
Leo is calling on political leaders, AI executives and social organizations to come together and face the problem. “We need to continue to invite political leaders, leaders of AI, social organizations, associations to come together and look at what is happening already and what could be down the road,” he said.
He rejected the idea that ignoring the problem is a responsible option. “To simply say ‘Oh it’s not going to happen’ and close our eyes to it I think is probably not the most responsible way to go about that.”
Leo said he remains relatively optimistic that solutions can be found. “I think there are enough people seriously interested in that and willing to look at that outside of the questions once again of power, who gets there first.”
Trump’s Position
Trump has spent his presidency dismissing warnings about AI. He has called the concerns a “hoax” and has repeatedly brushed off calls for regulation.
His latest move came Sunday, when he said he planned to have a late dinner with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Trump has not yet commented on the meeting.
The China Angle
Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week in Washington. Xi said it was important to ensure AI is “always under human control,” while Trump focused on rebranding it as “superintelligence” and dismissed calls for regulation.
The two leaders agreed to explore a new “notification mechanism” for AI incidents affecting national security.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs Leo XIV’s call to take AI risks seriously as a matter of public discussion, and is against Trump’s dismissal of those same concerns as a hoax. The danger here is not the technology itself but the response to it, and Trump’s approach treats the subject as a political football rather than a genuine threat.
The paper’s stance against letting big companies hide their failures is directly engaged by Leo’s rejection of Trump’s “hoax” label. Trump’s dismissive framing is an attempt to silence the very experts whose concerns Leo is championing, and the paper supports the kind of open dialogue that Leo is advocating. The contrast between the two leaders could not be sharper: one wants to discuss the problem, the other wants to pretend it doesn’t exist.
Readers should pay attention to how the conversation about AI safety gets framed. The paper supports narrow rules against direct harm, like forcing companies to disclose safety failures they hid, and opposes broad rules that hand the market to the incumbents. Leo’s insistence on taking AI risks seriously fits that narrower, targeted approach, while Trump’s mockery fits the paper’s warning against letting big companies hide their failures.
Key Facts Box
- Pope Leo XIV: first encyclical “Magnificent Humanity” on AI
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei: warned AI could take over the internet within six to 12 months
- Trump: called AI safety concerns a “hoax”
- Xi Jinping: said AI should be “always under human control”
- Leo: “I sleep at night” — not panicked
- Leo: “not fake news” — rejects Trump’s framing
Source material: “Contradicting Trump, Pope Leo says artificial intelligence safety concerns not 'fake news',” ABC7 Los Angeles.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.