Pope Leo XIV has publicly criticized Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regarding his resistance to AI safety regulations. This criticism came during a press conference on September 28, 2026, aboard the papal flight returning from France, where the Pope addressed concerns about the unchecked development of artificial intelligence. The Pope's comments directly rebutted the framing by Huang and former President Donald Trump that warnings about AI threats are "fake news," asserting that these concerns are legitimate and require a serious regulatory response.
The Pope's critique builds on his encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," published on May 25, 2026. This 42,300-word document outlines a comprehensive ethical framework for AI development, emphasizing the need to "disarm" AI by extracting it from structures that cause harm to workers, children, or civilians. Specifically, the encyclical calls for rigorous government oversight of private AI developers, stronger protections for worker rights in an AI-driven economy, safeguards against AI-generated content targeting children, and strict human control over weapon systems.
Huang has been a vocal opponent of what he perceives as premature AI regulation, aligning with Trump's view that AI safety concerns are overblown. This philosophical divide highlights contrasting approaches to AI governance: the American tech industry's preference for innovation first and regulation only after harm emerges, versus the Pope's framework, which argues that delaying regulation until harm materializes is itself a harmful approach. Pope Leo, while optimistic about AI's potential, insists that those building the technology should not be the sole decision-makers regarding its governance, signaling the Vatican's interest in mediating global regulatory negotiations.
