Google, Palantir, and Microsoft Take Their AI Pitch to the Pope
As Leo XIV prepares his first encyclical, Silicon Valley’s top players have been quietly making their case inside the Vatican.
With global regulatory uncertainty looming, the tech giants are looking to the Catholic Church for validation on their use of artificial intelligence. Salobir, a longtime Vatican insider and expert, chairs the executive committee of the Human Technology Foundation – a group that counts Google, Palantir, and Microsoft as founding members.
These tech firms have seen the Church as an unlikely but valuable ally in their bid to shape the global conversation around AI’s ethics. The Vatican has traditionally been a bastion of traditional values, but in recent years, it has taken a surprisingly nuanced stance on emerging technologies, emphasizing the Church’s commitment to human dignity and compassion.
Vatican’s AI Committee Takes Shape
The Human Technology Foundation was established in 2019, and it quickly gained traction within the Vatican’s inner circles. The organization’s mission is to promote “responsible technology” by hosting conferences, workshops, and other events – all with the aim of fostering a deeper understanding of the implications of emerging technologies on human society.
One of the key figures behind this initiative is Bishop Ivan Cornel’s, the newly appointed head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life. Cornel is a strong advocate for the Church’s role in shaping the global conversation around AI, and his organization has already hosted several high-profile conferences on the topic.
What this means
The Vatican’s growing engagement with the tech industry could have significant implications for the global regulatory landscape around AI. For one, it may help to legitimize the tech giants’ efforts to self-regulate, at least in the eyes of some stakeholders. It’s also possible that the Vatican’s influence will help to shape a more nuanced and human-centered approach to AI development, one that prioritizes compassion and dignity over profit and efficiency.
