Peter Thiel Brands Pope Leo XIV 'Chinese Communist Agent' Over His AI Regulation Stance

Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel has taken a direct aim at the Vatican by claiming that Pope Leo XIV was inadvertently acting as a "Chinese communist agent" by calling for global AI regulation. Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado during a non-recorded panel alongside the political scientist Francis Fukuyama, the Palantir co-founder argued that the pope's stance directly benefits Beijing in the AI war against the USA.

In May, Pope Leo XIV used his first encyclical (formal pastoral letter) to declare that AI "must be disarmed” and called for greater international regulation of the technology.

Thiel argued that the encyclical threatened to slow down only one side of the “race between the US and China” to advance AI, according to a CNN report. He added that it means Pope Leo is “working for the Chinese Communists”. The Aspen audience received his characterisation of the pope as a Chinese agent with laughter.

Thiel's statement against the pope comes months after he gave an invitation-only lecture series on the Antichrist in Rome, just blocks away from the Holy See.

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What Did The Pope Say?

In one of the strongest warnings yet from a global leader on the dangers of AI, Pope Leo XIV wrote a 42,300-word piece in the Vatican document.

"Artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed. The word is strong, I know, but deliberately chosen because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention," he said.

"A society that guarantees employment to only a small fraction of the population, despite having a high level of technical development, risks exposing many to forced inactivity," he warned.

The Pope has been unusually vocal about AI almost since the beginning of his papacy. On just his second day as pope last year, he told the College of Cardinals that the Church under his leadership would confront the risks AI poses to "human dignity, justice and labour". Since then, he has repeatedly returned to the subject during public speeches and meetings with Catholic university leaders.