The Pope’s AI Guy Is Worried About ‘Cartel’ Behavior Among Big Labs
The Vatican's AI advisor warns of 'cartel behavior' among frontier labs — and says the real problem isn't AGI, it's governance.
Why it matters
A prominent figure in AI policy and ethics (the Pope's advisor) is publicly calling out lab consolidation and competitive dynamics as governance failures, not existential risk. This frames the real policy debate for practitioners and regulators: market concentration and public oversight, not AI doom.
The key facts
9 to knowPaolo Benanti (Vatican AI advisor) quoted on 'cartel behavior' among big labs
Critique frames existential-risk discourse as distraction from governance
Policy/regulation angle: public debate and oversight as primary concern
Source: WIRED interview
Paolo Benanti, Vatican AI advisor, interviewed by WIRED
Warns of 'cartel behavior' among big AI labs
Argues hysteria over existential AI risk is distracting from governance debate
Advocates for public debate on AI technology regulation
Published Sep 23, 2026
Go to the source
Wired AIwired.com
Publisher excerpt: Paolo Benanti tells WIRED that hysteria over whether godlike AI could destroy humanity is distracting from the need for public debate about how to govern the technology.