Pope Leo Says AI Safety Concerns Not ‘Fake News’

September 29, 2026 4:45 am

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Leo XIV says concerns about artificial intelligence going rogue are not “fake news” and should be taken seriously. He is insisting that safety issues raised by AI experts should be discussed and acted on.Leo dedicated his first encyclical to AI and protecting humanity in its wake. He was asked during a press conference about what the United States and China especially should be doing to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity. President Donald Trump has called concerns about AI going rogue a “hoax.” “This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about,” Leo told reporters returning home from France. “We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen.”