Billionaire tech investor and venture capitalist Peter Thiel has expanded his touring lecture series on theology into the realm of modern technology policy, using recent events in Nashville to argue that government attempts to regulate artificial intelligence amount to authoritarian overreach. According to recordings obtained by Politico from the paid event, Thiel centered his thesis on the notion that prominent figures pushing for AI safety controls are inadvertently playing roles tied to biblical eschatology.
The closed-door lectures touched heavily on political and religious leaders who have publicly voiced concerns over the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. Thiel took direct aim at former President Barack Obama and Pope Leo XIV during the Nashville engagements. He suggested that political figures leverage AI skepticism simply because it is a popular stance, while criticizing the Vatican for addressing the technology in recent encyclicals regarding dehumanization and the pursuit of profit.
These theological arguments align closely with Thiel's extensive financial interests in the tech sector. His investment portfolio includes numerous startups backed by Founders Fund, Palantir's data analytics and AI product suites, and a substantial AI-focused holding through his hedge fund, Thiel Macro LLC. During the lectures, the co-founder also criticized effective altruism, arguing that the philosophical movement promotes a centralized global authority capable of halting scientific progress.
Thiel's ongoing lecture series, which previously touched down in San Francisco, Paris, and Rome, frames the modern opponent of technological acceleration not as a mad scientist, but as a restrictive figure seeking to halt scientific advancement. Representatives for Thiel did not respond to requests for comment regarding the leaked audio and the broader themes of the tour.
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