Billionaire Thiel calls Pope Francis a Chinese agent over AI regulation stance
Translated from Romanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Billionaire Peter Thiel accused Pope Francis of acting as a Chinese Communist Party agent.
- Thiel claimed the Pope's call for global AI regulation undermines U.S. technological dominance and serves Beijing's interests.
- The Vatican declined to comment on the accusations, which drew laughter from the audience.
Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has accused Pope Francis of being a Chinese Communist Party agent, alleging that the pontiff's recent call for global artificial intelligence regulation is an attempt to undermine U.S. technological leadership.
Thiel, a co-founder of software company Palantir and a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, made the assertion during a speech in Aspen, Colorado. He argued that the Pope's document, "Magnifica Humanitas," published in May, which urged strict international regulation of AI, plays into Beijing's hands. Thiel suggested that while American citizens might heed the Vatican's moral guidance, Chinese leadership would likely ignore it.
Pope Francis is a Chinese communist agent.
The billionaire investor further contended that this directive could have significant long-term impacts on security, particularly as AI is increasingly used in the arms race. The audience reportedly reacted with laughter to Thiel's accusation. The Vatican has not commented on the claims.
This directive serves Beijing.
Originally published by Adevฤrul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.