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Peter Thiel accused former President Barack Obama and Pope Leo XIV of fearmongering about artificial intelligence during closed-door lectures in Nashville that were obtained by Politico. According to Thiel, both figures use AI concerns to boost their popularity—Obama due to a lack of ideas among Democrats and the pope to distract from the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals. Thiel also warned against an "Antichrist" figure promoting tech regulation as part of a "one world government," reflecting his anti-regulation stance.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel accused former President Barack Obama and Pope Leo XIV of using concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) to boost their popularity. Speaking at a closed-door lecture in Nashville, Thiel argued that both figures were leveraging public fear of AI for political gain. He suggested that Obama, facing criticism over the lack of new ideas from Democrats, was opposing AI to rally his base. Similarly, Thiel alleged that Pope Leo's focus on AI was an attempt to divert attention from the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals. The accusations reflect a broader narrative where conservative tech figures cast political disagreements in religious terms, while also criticizing religious leaders for their stance on AI.
Written for “Peter Thiel Accuses Obamu Leo” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but all 3 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 66790: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-08
Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel reportedly slammed former President Barack Obama and Pope Leo XIV for stoking the public’s fears about artificial intelligence just so they can “boost their own popularity.”
uncertain
they → slam → popularity
Thiel singled out the two leaders as he warned about the Antichrist — a figure he sees as halting the progress of tech and advocating for a “one world government” of regulation — according to a series of recordings of closed-doors lectures that were obtained by Politico.
uncertain
that → single → Politico
“Many people know that AI is politically unpopular and want to leverage that to boost their own popularity,” Thiel reportedly said in Nashville.
uncertain
Thiel → know → Nashville
“Both Obama and the pope fall into this category.
asserted
Obama → fall → category
Obama knows the Democrats have no ideas, but they can at least oppose AI.”
asserted
they → know → AI
The 44th president recently urged Democrats to come up with a comprehensive approach to regulating AI.
asserted
president → urge → AI
As for the pontiff, Thiel suggested his focus on AI was an attempt to divert attention from the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals, Politico reported.
uncertain
Politico → suggest → scandals
“He needed something politically popular to distract from the church’s child sex abuse scandals, and he found it in AI,” Thiel said, referring to the pope’s first encyclical on AI.
asserted
Thiel → need → AI
Recent months have seen Pope Leo go on the offensive against AI, with the religious leader recently saying the tech could create a “paradise of machines” that risks undermining humanity — echoing some of the most dire prediction from AI doomers.
uncertain
that → see → doomers
Thiel’s comments, which were delivered during letures on Sept. 28 and on Monday, provided a rare look into the conservative techie’s evolving political priorities.
asserted
which → deliver → priorities
The viewpoint is widely shared among venture capitalists in Silicon Valley.
asserted
viewpoint → share → Valley
What’s different from his conservative tech counterparts is Thiel’s decision to cast the political disagreements in religious terms, while also attacking the leader of the Catholic Church, Politico noted.
asserted
Politico → ’ → Church
Thiel’s attacks on the church could complicate life for Vance, a converted Catholic, Politico pointed out.
uncertain
Politico → complicate → Vance
Democrats jockeying to position themselves for a 2028 presidential run, have already begun taking aim at Vance over his ties to the billionaire investor.
asserted
Democrats → jockey → investor
Reps for Thiel, Obama, Vance and the Vatican did not comment to Politico.
asserted
Reps → comment → Politico
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