Vatican taps ‘atheist’ Anthropic cofounder to speak at AI event as tensions with Trump White House rise
The Vatican has invited Christopher Olah, an Anthropic cofounder and self-described atheist, to speak at an upcoming AI event. This event will coincide with the release of Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on artificial intelligence, which aims to address human dignity in the context of AI. Olah's past criticisms of religion, particularly Catholicism, have raised eyebrows regarding his suitability for this role.
- ▪Christopher Olah is a cofounder of Anthropic and has been critical of religion in the past.
- ▪The Vatican event will feature Olah alongside discussions on the Pope's encyclical titled 'Magnifica Humanitas'.
- ▪Olah has previously expressed views that challenge traditional religious beliefs, including critiques of biblical narratives.
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Business exclusive Vatican taps ‘atheist’ Anthropic cofounder to speak at AI event as tensions with Trump White House rise By Thomas Barrabi Published May 22, 2026, 2:49 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence is slated for a Vatican event next week that will include Anthropic cofounder Christopher Olah – a self-described “atheist” who has written snarky blog posts that criticized religions including Catholicism, The Post has learned. Olah, a 33-year-old AI researcher who is on the team crafting the Claude chatbot’s “soul document”,” is one of a handful of secular officials tapped to speak at a Monday event.
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