U.S. Vice President JD Vance praised on Tuesday the encyclical of Pope Leo XIV warning about the risks of artificial intelligence, calling it “profound” and a necessary act of moral leadership in an era of disruptive AI.
Vance has close ties to the technology industry, having worked as a venture capitalist before entering politics, and counts Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, among his most prominent supporters.
In an encyclical titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”), the first American pope — who has clashed with the White House over the war in Iran and the use of religion to justify conflict — issued a series of warnings about how technology could impact humanity. Among other concerns, he said artificial intelligence could lead to “new forms of slavery.”
“What I read sounded very profound and the kind of thing you would expect and hope from a church leader,” Vance told NBC News in an interview.
“Morality is that principles never change, but the way you apply those principles does, because the world changes, right?” Vance added.
Vance and the Vatican have previously clashed over migration policy, with Pope Leo criticizing the White House’s deportation policies.
The Vice President, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said he was pleased that the Pope — originally from Chicago — took the name Leo XIV upon becoming head of the Holy See last year.
He noted that Leo XIII became Pope at the start of the Industrial Age and similarly issued warnings about the impact of major technological change on humanity.
Leo XIV, he said, is becoming Pope at the dawn of the AI era, and if humanity navigates it successfully, it will be largely because the Church provides the moral leadership needed.
“We really need moral leadership to think through these questions, and that is exactly what the Church is best positioned to provide,” Vance said.
