Peter Thiel says Obama and Pope Leo are exploiting AI fears in his latest Antichrist lectures

Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel is escalating his campaign against artificial intelligence regulation, targeting two of the technology’s most prominent critics: former President Barack Obama and Pope Leo XIV.

Thiel accused both men of capitalizing on public anxiety about AI during closed-door lectures in Nashville on Sept.

28 and Oct.

5, according to recordings obtained by Decoded by Politico .

The talks are the latest installment of Thiel’s lecture series on the Antichrist, a figure from Christian theology whom he sees as halting technological progress and advocating a “one world government” of regulation.

In Thiel’s telling, that threat includes efforts to rein in AI development, which he frames as a path toward centralized control that would restrict technology and individual freedom.

Thiel’s representatives did not respond to Politico’s request for comment.

Thiel says Obama and Pope Leo are cashing in on AI anxiety During the lectures, Thiel questioned why so many public figures are weighing in on AI, and singled out Obama and the pope.

“Many people know that AI is politically unpopular and want to leverage that to boost their own popularity,” Thiel said.

“Both Obama and the pope fall into this category.

Obama knows the Democrats have no ideas, but they can at least oppose AI.” Obama recently urged Democrats to develop a clear AI plan .

At a September fundraiser, he told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that Democrats should build a framework for a public conversation on AI policy if they retake the House.

He also said 2028 presidential hopefuls should make the technology one of their “central agendas” .

Thiel was even more pointed about the pope, suggesting Leo’s focus on AI is a distraction from the Catholic Church’s legacy of abuse.