Interior Secretary Defends AI Data Centers After Pope's Encyclical

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum defended AI data centers as positive for humanity during a Tuesday appearance on Fox Business. He criticized Pope Leo XIV for including technology commentary in a recent encyclical. Burgum spoke on the program Mornings with Maria after host Maria Bartiromo asked about the pope's document.

He said he did not know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope.

XIV released the encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas on Monday. The more than 42,000-word document warned that data centers consume enormous amounts of energy and water and significantly influence carbon dioxide emissions. The pope called for more sustainable technological solutions that reduce environmental impact.

He also warned that moral judgment cannot be reduced to calculation and cautioned against trusting lethal decisions to artificial systems.

Burgum contrasted the pope's call to disarm AI with his own view that data center construction benefits humanity. He attributed high energy costs in some states to policies favoring unreliable, weather-dependent sources of electricity. The remarks mark continued friction between the Trump administration and the Vatican over the pope's criticism of the war in Iran.

Earlier statements from administration officials addressed the same tensions.

“I didn't know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope.”

Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah joined the pope for the presentation of the encyclical. Olah said the AI race needs moral voices that the incentives cannot bend.