US Vice President JD Vance Praises Pope Leo XIV’s Landmark AI Manifesto as "Profound"

Vice President JD Vance Praises Pope Leo XIV’s Landmark AI Manifesto as "Profound"

WASHINGTON — In an unexpected alignment between the White House and the Vatican, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has praised Pope Leo XIV’s newly released encyclical on artificial intelligence, describing the pontiff's warnings as "profound" and a vital demonstration of moral leadership.

The comments come amid a period of heightened friction between the Trump administration and the Holy See, which have clashed publicly over immigration policies—particularly the administration's mass deportation strategy—as well as the ongoing war in Iran. However, the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence has provided a surprising area of common ground.

On Monday, Pope Leo XIV—the first American-born pontiff—issued his inaugural encyclical, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity). The 42,300-word document outlines sweeping ethical concerns regarding the digital revolution, warning that unregulated AI development could hollow out the middle class, exacerbate global wealth gaps, and potentially reduce human dignity to data points, creating what he termed “new forms of slavery.”

Speaking to NBC News on Tuesday, Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, welcomed the Pope's intervention despite not yet having read the massive text in its entirety.

"What I read of it sounds very profound, and the sort of thing that you would expect and hope from a leader of the church," Vance said. "The thing about morality is that the principles never change, but the way you apply those principles does, because the world changes, right?"

Vance noted that society has historically had to update its frameworks to match technological shifts. "You have new technologies and warfare, so you have to update 'just war' doctrine," he explained. "New ways of human beings interacting with one another, so you have to kind of rethink the entire Catholic social teaching in light of the new world that we live in. And I think that's exactly what the Pope is trying to do. So I'm glad that he did it."

The Vice President's perspective is particularly notable given his deep roots in Silicon Valley. Before entering politics, Vance worked as a tech venture capitalist and maintains strong ties to prominent industry figures, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a major backer of the administration.

Vance also expressed appreciation for the Chicago-born pontiff's choice of papal name when he assumed leadership of the Holy See in 2025. He viewed it as a deliberate historical parallel to Pope Leo XIII, who led the Catholic Church at the end of the 19th century and wrote extensively about protecting workers during the Industrial Revolution.

"I think it was very much a nod to Leo XIII who, of course, became pope at the beginning of the Industrial Age," Vance added. He suggested that if humanity successfully navigates the dawn of the AI age, the church's guidance will be a primary reason. "I suspect that if we make it through this successfully, it will be in large part because the pope and the church are able to provide the kind of moral leadership that we need."

While Vance embraced the moral framework of the encyclical, the Vatican's policy recommendations still pose a direct contrast to the White House's deregulatory approach. President Donald Trump recently delayed an executive order mandating pre-deployment safety testing for AI, citing a desire to avoid stifling innovation in America's tech race against China. Conversely, “Magnifica Humanitas” argues for "disarming" AI—not by pausing technology entirely, but by slowing public adoption to allow government oversight, ethical boundaries, and labor protections to catch up.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-vance/vance-pope-leo-ai-warnings-profound-rcna345751