Pope Leo XIV says he is not losing sleep over AI apocalypse fears

Pope Leo XIV said he is not in panic mode regarding the potential for artificial intelligence to pose catastrophic risks to humanity. Speaking to journalists during a press conference on the papal flight from Metz, France, to Rome on Sept. 28, the pope stated that while he is not losing sleep over the prospect of an AI apocalypse, the concerns raised by specialists should be taken seriously.

The pope rejected claims that these safety warnings are fake news intended to provide financial or other benefits. He noted that the issue requires discussion, stating that leaders cannot simply pretend nothing will happen. These comments follow the publication of his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which calls for ethical guardrails and regulation of the technology.

The remarks come amid varying warnings from technology leaders. Evan Hubinger, a safety researcher at Anthropic, recently suggested there is a greater than 10% chance of AI-powered human extinction within 10 years. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also called for a slower pace of development to address risks, a position that contrasts with comments from Donald Trump, who has dismissed such scenarios.