Why Pope Leo Wants to ‘Disarm’ A.I.

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical letter focuses on safeguarding humanity amid the rise of artificial intelligence. In the letter, which is essentially a policy document from the Vatican, the Pope urges tech companies and policymakers worldwide to place human and moral concerns over profit. Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah spoke at the Pope’s release of his letter in Vatican City, signaling an intention of collaboration and dialogue, but Silicon Valley leaders more broadly seem skeptical of the guidance. Will the pope’s recommendations impact the development and deployment of A.I.? Guests: Cade Metz, technology reporter, The New York Times; author, “Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought A.I. to Google, Facebook, and The World" Kim Daniels, director, the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Why Pope Leo Wants to ‘Disarm’ A.I. is an episode from KQED's Forum by KQED.

This episode is 54:40 long.

This episode was published on Jun 2, 2026.

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