Pope Says AI Threat to Humanity Is Not 'Fake News,' Directly Refuting Trump

Pope Leo XIV has emphasized that concerns surrounding the safety of artificial intelligence (AI) are not fake news and that serious discussions must be held on how to respond.

According to the Associated Press, the Pope was asked during a press conference aboard the papal plane on the 28th (local time) while returning from a trip to France about what the United States and China, in particular, should do to prevent catastrophic threats that AI could pose to humanity.

In response, the Pope said, "It's a problem that we have to sit down and talk about seriously," adding, "We cannot step back, look the other way, and act as if nothing is happening."

He continued, "If someone asks me today, 'Are you in a panic?' I would say no, and I sleep well at night," and stated, "What I really want to say is that the concerns raised by many AI experts and intellectuals must be taken seriously."

He emphasized, "I do not think this issue is fake news aimed at gaining some form of benefit, whether financial or otherwise, as some claim."

U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns that AI could lead to the end of humanity as a "hoax," repeatedly expressing aversion to arguments for slowing down AI development.

In a recent post on Truth Social, President Trump reaffirmed his determination to maintain the speed of U.S. AI development and win the competition against China, stating, "There is a sickening conspiracy targeting AI and data centers, and the only country that would rejoice is China."

Previously, the Pope criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and opposed the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran, engaging in war of words with President Trump and setting up a confrontation.

The British daily Financial Times reported that the Pope also criticized Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who has expressed negative views on slowing down or regulating AI development.

The Pope told reporters, "I read that the head of Nvidia claims to have found a way to plant some kind of 'guardrails' into AI."

This appeared to refer to Nvidia's announcement of a platform providing control functions throughout the entire process, from the testing phase to the actual deployment stage of AI agents.

Pointing out that "he [Huang] is the same person who says there should be no limits and no government regulation," the Pope remarked, "This is precisely the kind of issue that I think we need to sit down and talk about."

The Pope noted, "We must ensure that political leaders, AI leaders, social groups, and associations gather to continuously monitor what is already happening and what could happen in the future," adding, "Simply closing our eyes and pretending such things will not happen is not a responsible attitude."

He stated that since issuing an encyclical last May containing the message that AI needs to be "disarmed" so it cannot dominate humans, he has been receiving input from people who want to participate in a broader conversation about AI.

The Pope expressed expectations that a solution can be found, saying he is "relatively optimistic."

He said, "I think there are enough people who are genuinely interested and willing to look into this issue, beyond dimensions of power or who takes the high ground."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.