Peter Thiel says the pope’s AI encyclical was ‘working for’ China

Peter Thiel criticized Pope Leo XIV’s AI encyclical, calling the pope a “useful idiot” for the Chinese Communist Party, arguing the call for regulation would not curb China but could prompt U.S. and allied governments to impose strict AI rules. He also blamed Americans for the growing anti-AI backlash, suggesting China’s influence is overstated. Thiel added criticism of German entrepreneurs for selling companies early and highlighted his investments in OpenAI, Palantir, and Scale AI.