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'I don't think that is fake news as some have said,' says Leo XIV contradicting Trump on need for AI safety

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Fouda, M. (2026, September 29). 'I don't think that is fake news as some have said,' says Leo XIV contradicting Trump on need for AI safety. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/29/i-dont-think-that-is-fake-news-as-some-have-said-says-leo-xiv-contradicting-trump-on-need-

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Euronews · collected 2026-09-29 · by Malek Fouda

Quick Summary

Pope Leo XIV contradicted US President Donald Trump’s characterization of concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) going rogue as “fake news,” stating these worries should be taken seriously. During a press conference after an apostolic visit to France, the pope emphasized that safety issues raised by AI experts need discussion and action. He referenced calls from tech executives like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for slowing down AI development due to potential risks.
Written by AI on 2026-09-29, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 28, Pope Leo XIV said during a press conference aboard his flight back to Rome from France that concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) causing catastrophic harm are not "fake news" and should be addressed seriously. This statement was seen as an apparent rebuttal to US President Donald Trump, who had previously dismissed similar worries at the UN General Assembly as a hoax.

Pope Leo also criticized tech CEOs like Nvidia's Jensen Huang, who argue against government regulation of AI despite acknowledging potential safety measures. The pope emphasized that experts' warnings should be taken seriously and discussed further, highlighting ongoing debates between policymakers and industry leaders about how to manage rapid technological advancements in AI while ensuring human safety.

The pontiff’s comments reflect growing international concern over the unregulated development of powerful new AI systems and their potential threats to society.

Written for “Pope Leo On AI Safety Concerns” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Pope Leo On AI Safety Concerns
World · 6 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 16% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 6 of 33 claims Outlet record 64/100
The Straits Times
Hedges 3 of 12 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 11 claims Outlet record 60/100
Al Jazeera
Hedges 4 of 16 claims Outlet record 60/100
South China Morning Post
Hedges 1 of 5 claims Outlet record 64/100
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 29 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different speakers addressing concerns about AI at distinct times: Albanese in his UN address on September 25, and Pope Leo XIV during a press conference on September 29.”
ABC News (US)
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 7 of 31 claims Outlet record 70/100
“Article A reports on Pope Leo XIV's comments about AI safety, while Article B discusses public concern and a summit between Trump and Xi Jinping.”
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 36 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different events: one is about Pope Leo XIV commenting on AI safety, and the other is about Trump hosting a summit with tech leaders.”
The Independent
Hedges 5 of 35 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss related topics but describe different occurrences: one is a statement by Pope Leo XIV about AI safety and its contrast with Trump's views, while the other focuses on Trump's continued stance on AI regulation.”
The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 27 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different parts of Pope Leo's broader activities regarding AI concerns; Article A covers his speech at the start of a three-day visit to France, while Article B reports on a subsequent press conference addressing similar themes but in a different context and time frame.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
16%
3 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
60/100
Euronews's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-29 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Euronews · 1131 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 1 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Malek Fouda
34 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Malek Fouda
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 34 articles by Malek Fouda →

Topics

Anthropic China France OpenAI the United States

Subjects

Anthropic ORG · 4× China GPE · 2× Dario Amodei PERSON · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 2× France GPE · 2× Leo PERSON · 2× Leo XIV PERSON · 2× Trump PERSON · 2× the United States GPE · 2× OpenAI ORG · 1×

Narrative

Pope Leo XIV said on Monday that concerns about artificial intelligence going rogue are not “fake news” and should be taken seriously, insisting that safety issues raised by AI experts should be discussed and acted on. The pontiff, who dedicated his first encyclical to AI and protecting humanity in its wake, was asked during a press conference about what the United States and China especially should be doing to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity. US President Donald Trump has struck down concerns about AI, its rapid pace of development and potential of going rogue, repeatedly, despite calls from top AI firm executives – including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, downplaying them as a “hoax.” “This is a problem that, I think, we need to sit down and talk about,” the American pope told reporters onboard a plane back to the Vatican from France, where he had just completed the first apostolic journey to the country in 18 years.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-29
🔮 Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, for example, has warned that within six to 12 months, AI could be capable of leading a swarm of agents that could take over the entire internet.

Claims (19 extracted, 3 hedged)

The pontiff appeared to target US President Donald Trump who has routinely referred to concerns from AI leaders about the rapid pace of development of the technology as a ‘hoax’ stemming from his political opponents. asserted
who → appear → opponents
Pope Leo XIV said on Monday that concerns about artificial intelligence going rogue are not “fake news” and should be taken seriously, insisting that safety issues raised by AI experts should be discussed and acted on. The pontiff, who dedicated his first encyclical to AI and protecting humanity in its wake, was asked during a press conference about what the United States and China especially should be doing to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity. US President Donald Trump has struck down concerns about AI, its rapid pace of development and potential of going rogue, repeatedly, despite calls from top AI firm executives – including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, downplaying them as a “hoax.” “This is a problem that, I think, we need to sit down and talk about,” the American pope told reporters onboard a plane back to the Vatican from France, where he had just completed the first apostolic journey to the country in 18 years. asserted
he → say → years
“We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen,” said Leo XIV. asserted
XIV → sit → ?
Trump has been a champion of the technology, often warning that the United States must remain ahead of China in the AI arms race. asserted
States → warn → race
He has said efforts to limit the technology were part of a “conspiracy” by his political opponents. asserted
efforts → say → opponents
Several AI giants, including Anthropic, have called for a slowdown in development to give safety measures time to catch up to the fast-moving technology. asserted
giants → include → technology
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, for example, has warned that within six to 12 months, AI could be capable of leading a swarm of agents that could take over the entire internet. uncertain
that → warn → internet
Trump had a late-night dinner with Amodei on Sunday, during which they discussed Americans' concerns about the technology and how to keep the US dominant, the White House said. asserted
House → have → US
“If someone were to ask me ‘Am I in panic mode?’ No I’m not. asserted
I → ask → mode
I sleep at night,” said the pontiff. asserted
pontiff → sleep → night
“I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI should be taken seriously,” he stressed. asserted
he → think → AI
“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,” Leo said. asserted
Leo → think → benefit
The pope, who called for robust regulation of AI and a slowdown of the technology in his encyclical “Magnificent Humanity,” is up to speed on developments in the field. asserted
who → call → field
Despite being at the end of a gruelling four-day trip to France, Leo noted a news report on Monday afternoon about Nvidia introducing guardrails into AI. asserted
Nvidia → note → AI
He also noted that the company has previously resisted outside regulation of AI development. asserted
company → note → development
He identified AI as one of the biggest challenges to humanity within days of his election and took the unusual step of personally launching his own encyclical alongside Anthropic's co-founder Christopher Olah at a Vatican event in May. uncertain
He → identify → May
The initiative was part of the Vatican's effort to engage Silicon Valley about the human costs of AI. asserted
initiative → engage → AI
“We need to continue to invite political leaders, leaders of AI, social organisations, associations to come together and look at what is happening already and what could be down the road,” he said on Monday. uncertain
he → need → Monday
“To simply say ‘Oh it’s not going to happen’ and close our eyes to it I think is probably not the most responsible way to go about that,” he added. asserted
he → say → that
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