{
  "id": 9547976,
  "title": "For Pope Leo, the risk of an AI apocalypse is a major concern",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/for-pope-leo-the-risk-of-an-ai-apocalypse-is-a-major-concern",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-24T11:12:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/24/for-pope-leo-the-risk-of-an-ai-apocalypse-is-a-major-concern"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Vatican has expressed concerns about artificial intelligence's potential to trigger an apocalypse, even before major US tech companies raised similar alarms at the UN Security Council. Pope Leo, who has been advocating for global rules to regulate the technology since May, reiterated his warnings at a Vatican meeting on Thursday and plans to do so again on Friday at UNESCO's Paris headquarters. Rev. Paolo Benanti, a Vatican advisor on AI issues, explained that the church has been warning about AI risks since 2019, hosting two conferences on the matter. Benanti noted that the Vatican is not leading any ongoing dialogues with AI firms, as the global church operates in a decentralized manner. Pope Leo emphasized during a speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences that AI can benefit humanity but also introduces new dangers to security and international peace, urging leaders to govern wisely in overseeing the technology. He specifically cautioned about the development of weapons systems, calling for international regulation to prevent such weapons, like those used in the Russia-Ukraine war, from being developed beyond human control.",
  "summary": "Pope Leo, who in May called for global rules to govern AI, renewed his warnings at a Vatican meeting on Thursday and is expected to do so again at Unesco headquarters in Paris on Friday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "For Pope Leo, the risk of an AI apocalypse is a major concern",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/for-pope-leo-the-risk-of-an-ai-apocalypse-is-a-major-concern-9549308",
        "published": "2026-09-24T11:12:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}