The first American pope has made waves since taking the position. However, after his latest remarks – that AI could make civilization less human and a plea for governments globally to actively slow AI development – people in the US have been divided.

Some Americans celebrated the commentary, with former New York council member Brad Lander calling it “bold moral leadership” and Florida representative Anna Paulina Luna telling her constituents on social media that she concurs with Pope Leo’s sentiments. In contrast, Doug Burgum, the US secretary of the interior, pushed back and said he didn’t “know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being Pope”; while David Sacks, the former White House AI and crypto czar, posted on X that government regulation of AI poses serious dangers.

“If we hand governments sweeping power over AI development in the name of safety, how do we prevent it from being used to censor, surveil, and control citizens,” Sacks asked.

If you live in the US, what are your thoughts on the pope’s encyclical on AI? Do you agree or disagree, and why?