Calder McHugh

Among people of faith with strong ties to Silicon Valley, no one faces a thornier dilemma when confronting Pope Leo’s encyclical on artificial intelligence than Vice President JD Vance (R-OH).  The country’s most powerful Catholic, Vice President Vance, is also surely aware of growing AI skepticism on the religious right. At the same time, he has championed President Donald Trump’s broadly hands-off approach to AI and is a longtime Peter Thiel ally.

Whether they fully appreciate it or not, Californians will be deciding on the future of global AI regulation when they head to the voting booths on June 1. AI is a hot button issue across the world, but much of the national and international policy governing the technology still begins in California, where the most advanced AI labs are headquartered.

The White House’s approach to AI development has been marked by a consistent opposition to almost any significant regulation of the tech industry. Led for many months by AI czar David Sacks, the White House believes that any policy that might restrict AI companies’ ability to grow — and grow quickly — is handing a consequential advantage to China. That attitude has led to a divide within the Republican Party on the issue of AI development, which is now widening and deepening.