Catholic Bishops Lobby Congress for AI Safety Guardrails

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops formed a task force on September 16 to address the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. Led by Bishop Oscar Cantú, the group aims to promote policies that safeguard religious liberty, democratic institutions, and vulnerable populations in alignment with Pope Leo XIV's encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas."

As part of this initiative, the organization's Administrative Committee met with AI specialists and technology firm representatives in Washington. Simultaneously, more than a dozen bishops visited Capitol Hill to urge Congress to enact child online protection legislation and safety guardrails for AI development.

These religious efforts coincide with warnings from industry leaders like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who argued for a slowdown in AI capabilities to prevent systems from outrunning human control. However, President Donald Trump has dismissed these concerns regarding AI dangers as a "hoax."