Peter Thiel claims Pope Leo XIV is a Chinese Communist agent on AI

Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, accusing Pope Leo XIV of unintentionally serving Chinese communist interests by urging stronger international regulation of artificial intelligence. Thiel argued that the pope’s May encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” which calls for AI to be “disarmed,” could slow AI development in the United States while benefiting China, and said this makes the pope “working for the Chinese Communists.” The audience reacted with laughter and the Vatican declined to comment.

Thiel also warned that the U.S. Democratic Party faces a “democratic‑socialist takeover” and discussed the broader fate of Western democracy alongside political scientist Francis Fukuyama on an unrecorded panel. He referenced earlier tensions with the Vatican over a March lecture series on the Antichrist that had unsettled Vatican officials. The remarks generated media coverage but remain largely rhetorical, with no immediate policy changes announced.