Vance calls Pope Leo’s AI warnings ‘profound’
Vance said the pope’s first encyclical calls for restraint as AI advances raise new questions for church teaching and warfare.
- On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance praised Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical as 'very profound,' saying the document warns about unbridled AI advancements while urging restraint framed as responsible care for humanity. Vance told NBC News he had scanned only 'bits and pieces' of the full text.
- Vance's support for AI advancement reflects his Silicon Valley venture capital background, though recent voter concerns have prompted more public skepticism. His Catholic faith—following conversion after a Protestant upbringing and atheist period—also shapes his technology positions as he previews his forthcoming book 'Communion,' releasing June 16 through HarperCollins.
- Vance drew historical parallels between Pope Leo XIV's installation and Pope Leo XIII's arrival at the Industrial Age, arguing the pope and church provide 'the kind of moral leadership that we need' for the AI age. He stated new technologies require updating 'Just War' doctrine and rethinking 'the entire Catholic social teaching.'
- Pope Leo XIV released the encyclical alongside Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah, linking Vatican messaging to private AI industry ties. President Donald Trump's administration has ordered agencies to stop using Anthropic after the company refused the military unrestricted technology access.
- Beyond his faith statements, Vance revealed personal lifestyle changes including deleting X from his phone for Lent and crediting the break with boosted productivity. He also adopted a diet recommended by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. featuring protein and fermented foods.
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AFL-CIO praises Pope Leo’s denunciation of AI’s danger
WASHINGTON—The AFL-CIO strongly praised Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical denouncing and warning about the dangers to workers, jobs, and humanity in general of artificial intelligence. In a 42,300-word encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, the highest form of Catholic teaching, the Pope, a native of Chicago’s south suburbs who also spent years in Peru, declared human intelligence, and humanity in general, including the value of working at jobs that provide d…
Pope’s AI warnings match Americans’ responses; Cabinet reaction mixed
(The Center Square) – Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, on Monday continued the legacy of his predecessor with a social encyclical addressing artificial intelligence – as much a pivotal challenge as a welcomed technological advance to the 21st century.
The American vice-president considered Pope Leo XIV's first doctrinal text on artificial intelligence "very deep".
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