Peter Thiel Claims Pope Leo XIV’s AI Stance Aids China

Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel accused Pope Leo XIV of inadvertently advancing Chinese interests by calling for international regulation of artificial intelligence, delivering the provocative claim at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on Tuesday. Thiel also warned of a democratic-socialist takeover of the Democratic Party and framed his critique within a broader argument about Western stagnation.

Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and an early supporter of former President Donald Trump, made the remarks during a panel discussion with political scientist Francis Fukuyama. He argued that the pope’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), released in May, which calls for AI to be “disarmed” and more tightly regulated, would only hinder the United States in a technological race with China. Thiel contended that because the moral appeal might influence Americans but be ignored in China, the pontiff was effectively “working for the Chinese Communists.” The audience reportedly responded with laughter to the characterization. The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment.

This incident adds to existing friction between Thiel and the...