Pope Leo XIV had already made artificial intelligence a defining moral issue of his young papacy. In his first major encyclical in May, he warned that the technology could weaken human judgment, widen inequality and destabilize democracy—even as he acknowledged its usefulness.¹

That concern came into sharper political focus as President Donald Trump dismissed AI-safety fears as a “HOAX” and a “SICK conspiracy.” A White House official later said Trump was referring specifically to Democrats using AI concerns to score points ahead of the midterms.¹

Then, while returning from France on Monday, Leo answered the argument directly. He said he was not in “panic mode” and could still sleep at night, but added that the concerns raised by AI experts and specialists “should be taken seriously.”² He rejected the suggestion that such warnings were “fake news” manufactured for financial or other gain.¹

The Pope’s position is neither a blanket rejection of AI nor a call for paralysis. “We have to keep working,” he said, warning against simply pretending that nothing will happen.¹ He pointed to Nvidia’s efforts to secure AI agents, while also criticizing chief executive Jensen Huang’s opposition to limits and government regulation.¹

That leaves a clear divide. Leo sees risk assessment and collective oversight as responsible stewardship; Trump’s allies see the alarm as politicized; and Huang has suggested that AI panic can serve the cybersecurity industry’s commercial interests. The Pope’s proposed answer is broader than either camp’s: bring political leaders, AI companies and civil society together to confront both the harms already visible and those still ahead.¹