GoKawiilPope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first Encyclical Letter "Magnifica Humanitas" focused on the rise of artificial intelligence, in The Vatican on May 25, 2026. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images)
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum opened a new front Tuesday in the Trump administration's public feud with the Vatican, dismissing Pope Leo XIV's warning about artificial intelligence as the White House resists new guardrails on the rapidly evolving technology.
"I didn't know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope," Burgum said in an interview on Fox Business, referring to Leo's first encyclical, a 42,300-word document that called for stronger AI oversight and warned the technology could displace workers, deepen inequality and put lethal weapons decisions beyond human control.
But Vice President JD Vance, the highest-ranking Catholic in the Trump administration and one of its most prominent links to Silicon Valley, in an interview with NBC praised the same message as "profound" and the kind of "moral leadership" the church should offer at the start of the AI age.
The split response underscores the delicate politics facing President Donald Trump as he makes AI dominance and deregulation central to his second-term economic agenda while navigating an increasingly public feud with the first American pope.
"The vice president now seems to be backtracking on earlier criticisms when he said Pope Leo needs to learn more theology," said Peter Casarella, a Duke Divinity School professor of theology who studies AI. "They got ahead of their skis and are rowing back."
Leo's remarks follow Trump's decision last week to delay an executive order that would have created a voluntary AI safety review process. Reversing course after tech industry pressure, Trump cited concerns that oversight could slow the U.S. competitive edge against China.
Some Catholics have also warned that unchecked AI could outpace policymakers and worsen problems tied to work, children and family life.
"The so-called tech right, which is handcuffing the White House from doing something reasonable, I think will be revealed as mistaken," said Michael Toscano, director of the Family First Technology Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, who supports the pope's push for more ethical AI guardrails. "I think the real danger is between now and November" when the U.S. will hold elections.
The AI fight is the latest flashpoint in an escalating battle between the White House and the Vatican.
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