GoKawiilAnthropic lobbied Vatican officials on AI consciousness before papal encyclical, NYT reports
According to a New York Times report, Anthropic has held private, NDA-covered meetings with religious scholars to argue that AI models may think and feel. Cofounder Christopher Olah reportedly pressed Vatican officials on this view after learning Pope Leo XIV's stance ahead of his May encyclical, which stated AI systems do not have experiences, bodies, or genuine understanding. Olah's effort to shift the Pope's position did not succeed.