10
Loading video...
By Alex Backus
Editor
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Pope Leo XIV said warnings about artificial intelligence going rogue are not “fake news” and should be taken seriously, as President Donald Trump reportedly prepares to meet with some of its leading executives Tuesday in Washington.
“This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about,” Leo told reporters aboard the papal plane returning from France, when asked what should be done to address the potential for AI to pose catastrophic risks. “We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen.”
Pope Leo said he was not “in panic mode” over the technology but argued that warnings from AI experts should be taken seriously.
Read More on News
“I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI should be taken seriously,” he said. “I don’t think that that is ‘fake news’ as some have said to try and cause, whether financial or some other kind of benefit.”
Trump has called concerns about AI going rogue a “hoax.”
The president and House Speaker Mike Johnson are reportedly expected to meet Tuesday with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a lunch, according to Politico.
Johnson said Monday that the talks will focus on striking a balance between oversight and innovation.
“We do not need a moratorium, we do not need to jump in and hyper regulate this because we'll lose the race to China,” Johnson said during a Monday interview with Fox Business. “The innovation is important to continue.”
Johnson said transparency is critical, but rather than “smothering this with red tape,” the goal should be to continue innovation while ensuring it is done safely.
The debate over AI safety comes as the U.S. and China race to develop increasingly powerful models.
Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit last week, the White House said both countries agreed to establish a channel for handling AI-related incidents.
Trump said the U.S. "is not going to be putting on brakes."
“They want to stop our progress because we’re leading China by a lot and we’re going to keep it that way," Trump told reporters outside the White House Saturday.
A White House official told Newsweek that Trump, Vice President JD Vance, administration officials and industry leaders will also attend the launch of America.gov on Tuesday. The new website is designed to help Americans access federal information and resources currently scattered across government agencies. Artificial intelligence will be among the topics discussed during a panel, the official said.
Heads of major AI firms addressed the United Nations General Assembly last week, urging regulation as the technology rapidly evolves.
“If managed poorly, I even believe AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole,” Amodei said.
Amodei warned that without a slowdown, AI could be capable of leading a swarm of agents that could take over the entire internet within six to 12 months.
Trump had a private dinner with Amodei on Sunday, but details of their conversation have not been released.
Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates recently called for outside regulation as AI continues to develop, warning of potentially catastrophic consequences.
“AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that, you know, cause a billion deaths,” Gates told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”
“You know, so even though it’s pretty hard to get to 100%, there’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools,” he said.
Related Story
Bill Gates Warns AI Could Drive Events Causing ‘A Billion Deaths’
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Sam Wilson.
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines