Pope calls for AI risks to be taken seriously

Pope Leo XIV said on Monday that fears that artificial intelligence could reach a stage at which it could destroy humanity must be taken seriously, rejecting descriptions of the warnings as “fake news”, days after US President Donald Trump called concerns about the technology a “hoax”.

The Pope made the remarks during a press conference on board the plane while returning to Rome after a four-day trip to France. “I really believe that the concerns raised by a number of experts and specialists in the field of artificial intelligence should be taken seriously,” he said, adding: “I do not believe this is fake news, as some have said.”

Trump called AI risks a hoax

Trump told the United Nations General Assembly last week that he believed concerns about the risks artificial intelligence could pose to humanity were a “hoax”. Leo XIV’s position comes amid his repeated warnings about the dangers of the technology since the start of his papacy 16 months ago.

Leo XIV is the first American Pope. During his papacy, he has directly criticised technology company chief executives pushing for no restrictions on artificial intelligence, stressing the need to take seriously the warnings raised by experts and specialists in the field.

Pope criticises calls against AI restrictions

The Pope said he had read on Monday that the head of chipmaker Nvidia had announced that there might be a way to introduce safeguards into certain artificial intelligence models. But he expressed doubts about the proposal, saying the same executive “says that there should be no restrictions or government regulation”.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang told CBS News earlier this month that he agreed with Trump that concerns about artificial intelligence safety were exaggerated. That position conflicts with the Pope’s call to examine potential risks and establish safeguards to prevent the technology from getting out of control.

Leo XIV urged the world to “encourage dialogue, study and investigation, to find ways of ensuring that artificial intelligence does not reach a stage at which it can destroy humanity”.