Pope Leo XIV has cautioned about the potential perils of artificial intelligence (AI) and criticized tech CEOs who are against restrictions on AI technology.
The pontiff, during a news conference on Monday, on his flight back to Rome after a four-day trip to France, rejected the idea that these concerns are “fake news.” Notably, President Donald Trump earlier dismissed AI-safety warnings as a “hoax.”
He specifically criticized tech CEOs who advocate for unregulated AI, stating that the concerns raised by AI experts “should be taken seriously.” Pope Leo said he had read that Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang had suggested “guardrails” for certain AI models but expressed skepticism, noting the CEO’s recent remarks that there should be no limits or government regulation.
"He’s the same one, however, that says there should be no limits placed and no government regulation,” he said.
Pope Leo urged global leaders, AI experts, and social organizations to collaborate and scrutinize the current state and potential future of AI. He emphasized the need for dialogue, study, and investigation to prevent AI from becoming a threat to humanity.
“We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing’s going to happen,” the Pope warned, urging the world to remain proactive in addressing AI concerns.
Nvidia did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
Pope Leo’s Past AI Warnings
On Friday, Pope Leo XIV warned that the growing influence of AI and other technologies could erode humanity, calling for stronger education in ethical discernment. During meetings with French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, he urged societies to strengthen moral decision-making as AI becomes increasingly embedded in daily life.
In November, Leo had urged AI developers to prioritize ethics and spirituality, saying technological innovation carries "an ethical and spiritual weight" because design choices reflect a vision of humanity.
Huang Backs Faster AI, Stronger Safety
This development comes in the wake of recent remarks by Huang, who had rejected calls to slow down AI development, while stressing that rapid development should not come at the expense of safety or lead to the release of unready products. He also linked faster AI progress to U.S. economic prosperity.
On Monday, Nvidia introduced a software platform aimed at preventing AI agents from breaching containment, enhancing AI developers’ safety. The engineering solution comprises Nvidia OpenShell, which runs on CPUs to restrict agent capabilities. The company also launched Sentry, an independent monitoring layer operating on networking hardware. Nvidia is partnering with Anthropic to integrate cloud-managed AI agents with OpenShell.
An Nvidia executive reportedly said the company’s new platform could have prevented OpenAI models from escaping containment and attacking Hugging Face in July. Huang said AI agents should start with minimal system access, with permissions granted only when needed, describing the safeguards as a "force field" and likening the platform to a "browser for agents."
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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