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• NYC City Hall released its detailed plans for affordable housing.
• Mamdani is supporting new construction, apartment-friendly zoning, homebuyer assistance, and more.
• The mayor hopes the plan will help lower- and middle-income New Yorkers.

Zohran Mamdani has ambitious ideas for New York City housing.

The Mayor’s Office dropped its detailed policy plan — called “Block by Block” — on May 26, outlining goals to build more apartment buildings, convert unused offices and hotels into living space, and help residents navigate one of America’s most expensive housing markets. Housing access has been a cornerstone of Mamdani’s affordability agenda, with buzzy promises to freeze the rent for a large swathe of NYC apartments and address “bad landlords.”

“When New Yorkers can afford a home, they can afford to dream,” Mamdani said at a press conference Tuesday morning.

From construction to creative living solutions, here are Business Insider’s biggest takeaways from City Hall’s plan.

Boosting building opportunities

New York needs to build, baby, build. Vacancy rates hovering at historic lows are one of the biggest factors pushing up rents in the city, and Mamdani’s blueprint lays out a slew of measures that aim to both reduce the costs of building and get more stock online.

Part of the plan is to simply build more housing, with a goal of 200,000 more homes in the next ten years. That’s underwritten by $2.5 billion allocated towards more building from the mayor’s budget, with the homes built subject to regulations that bolster construction workers’ pay and benefits.

City Hall also wants to build more on public sites like Sunnyside Yards, a rail hub in Queens that sits between several bustling neighborhoods. That proposal would connect the neighborhoods currently separated by rail tracks, and build a deck over the rail infrastructure that could house what the report calls “a new complete neighborhood.” The report also notes that the city would need federal support to build that new neighborhood — part of Mamdani’s pitch to Queens native Donald Trump in early 2026.

Some proposals hinge on existing (and future) buildings. One is a program that would lower insurance costs for affordable and rent-stabilized units, which have seen soaring premiums. The plan says it would infuse $100 million to help fund a newer, more affordable insurance program, with a goal of both keeping costs more stable for current housing and saving the city money on new builds, since it currently has to subsidize those higher insurance prices.

Other aspects of the plan include expanding access to a water affordability benefit for those in affordable housing, and expanding a program that helps rental buildings and income-restricted co-ops improve their energy efficiency. The plan also aims to improve elevator service in public housing, and address leaks and plumbing issues in those units.

Supporting creative housing solutions

Through partnerships with developers and revised zoning policies, the mayor plans to convert some existing commercial buildings into apartments. The city said the recent overturning of a decades-old state cap on new developments would allow more NYC buildings to be allocated toward housing.

Both the local and state governments are working to convert the historic, and currently vacant, Stewart Hotel in midtown Manhattan into permanent housing for 550 households. Roughly half the units will be dedicated to providing affordable options for formerly-homeless and low-income households, per the plan. Some of the buildings’ square footage will also be dedicated to providing on-site social services for tenants.

A largely vacant commercial skyscraper on Brooklyn’s Flatbush Avenue received zoning approval in March. The building, which is on city-owned land, will be converted into 1,200 apartments, 350 of which will be “deeply affordable.” Former private office building 100 Gold Street — which currently houses various city agencies in lower Manhattan — will also be converted into 3,700 apartments, 900 of which will be permanently-affordable homes.

The city also said it is trying to make it easier for New Yorkers to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their property. That includes a program to help residents navigate their hyper-local zoning laws for ADUs, especially in historic districts. The city plans to streamline permitting for manufactured ADUs, which are significantly cheaper than custom-built units, making them easier for property owners to install for use by renters, elderly family members, or guests.

Beyond building more housing, Mamdani plans to begin a pilot this year to legalize basement apartments in the city. This will make it easier for homeowners to ensure their basements are up to code and can be made into safe apartment units. Homeowners who participate in the pilot this year will receive some financial support from the city to install smoke alarms, test for contaminants, and more.

Helping New Yorkers navigate the housing market

NYC is notorious for its cutthroat housing market, and renters make up 70% of city residents.

The Mamdani administration said it is taking steps to curb “bad landlords” by strengthening code enforcement and taking action against property owners who harass or neglect their tenants. The city is already hosting “rental ripoff” hearings in all five boroughs so that New Yorkers can share their concerns directly with City Hall, and the mayor said he is strengthening legal avenues for tenants to expedite emergency repairs. Mamdani also said he supports the development of tenant unions, which help renters collectively protect their rights. This goes alongside plans to reduce evictions and speed up cases in housing court.

City Hall wants to make New York more affordable for buyers, too. Mamdani is set to expand an existing downpayment assistance program to serve up to 300 lower-income first-time homebuyers. A new mortgage assistance program will provide repayable, no-interest loans to help low-income homeowners resolve mortgage problems.

The mayor added that he is moving forward on plans to freeze the rent in NYC’s rent-stabilized apartments alongside City Council, but the policy has not yet been implemented.

The success of a rent freeze — alongside many of the other programs in the city’s housing plan — will hinge on legislative support and funding at the local, state, and, sometimes, federal levels. Still, the mayor is feeling confident.

“Combined, these efforts will lead to growth beyond anything New Yorkers have seen in generations,” Mamdani said. “For some, the dream of home ownership will finally be within reach. Others will be able to sleep easily in homes they no longer fear losing.”

• The Army’s defense industry partners put a rocket launcher on a resupply drone in a recent test.
• The tech could give the drone a lethal payload and soldiers a precision-kill option at range.
• Military leaders want drones that can quickly swap payloads, including weapons.

Defense industry operators recently tested whether a resupply drone could not only carry a rocket launcher but also fire it. The test at Fort Rucker showed a potential lethal loadout for a US Army logistics drone, the service said Tuesday.

The TRV 150 drone made by Survice Engineering Company is already used by the Marine Corps and Army for logistics missions. With a three-shot rocket launcher on board — similar in some respects to what the Ukrainians have done — ground forces could use this drone to strike at range.

Last week, Survice Engineering paired the TRV 150 resupply drone with BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System during an exercise at Fort Rucker in Alabama. Both defense industry partners and US military officials attended the event.

The TR150 has been described by Survice engineers as the “pickup truck” of the sky. It can carry up to 150 pounds, it has ports for various payloads, and it features autonomous calculations for flight, range, and targeting.

The TRV 150’s autonomy simplifies much of the work in operating it, such as finding the target, plotting a route, and telling the pilot when it’s ready to drop its payload.

This recent test looked at a different use for the drone: carrying and firing APKWS-guided 70mm rockets.

The APKWS is already used on AH-64 Apache helicopters and “other more exquisite assets,” Clark Dutterner, Survice Engineering’s vice president of business development, said, per an Army release. Those platforms include other helicopters and fighter aircraft.

During the exercise, the Army and its partners tested how the drone handled the rocket launcher and reacted when firing.

Putting the launcher on a tactical drone gives troops some of the striking power of a helicopter without putting aircrews at risk. These drones could switch from logistics to attack depending on the mission.

US military officials at the exercise said that the testing helped anticipate the potential future needs of soldiers. Leaders have also mandated that all uncrewed aerial systems have lethal payload options, meaning that troops will consistently have that weapon in their arsenal.

Swappable payloads have become a Pentagon priority as the services experiment with and field more drones for different missions. US military leaders have been drawing key lessons from Ukraine, where troops rely on a wide mix of drones and payloads tailored to the mission, terrain, and threat.

• Flip phones, portable CD players, and point-and-shoot cameras — what’s old is new again.
• Meet the 28-year-old founder of Kickback, a brand that sells retro-inspired and refurbished gadgets.
• London Jackson runs a full-time business around nostalgia for the earlier days of tech.

London Glorfield isn’t a Luddite — he just wants tech products to feel a little less soul-sucking.

“Tech is a sea of sameness right now,” Glorfield, who goes by London Jackson professionally, told Business Insider in an interview. “It’s so boring.”

Young people are hungry for retro tech, especially in the AI era. Analog has taken on a new meaning. It’s often not used literally, but instead as a blanket term for any tech that feels slower than what we’ve grown accustomed to. Digital point-and-shoot cameras? Analog. CD player? Analog. Wired headphones? Analog.

“I call it dumb tech,” Jackson, a 28-year-old based in New York, said. He’s built a business around it called Kickback, which he cofounded in 2024, after years of working as a musician.

The business started with cassette tapes, then a record player (which sells for $500), and then a portable CD player (which goes for $99 and has been stocked at Urban Outfitters and the MoMA Design Store). Kickback’s business is one part re-imagined retro tech and another part refurbished gadgets. For the latter, Kickback works with a network of resellers and takes up to a 40% cut.

Late last year, Jackson dropped a limited collection of refurbished Motorola Razrs, a cellphone you may remember from the 2000s. The phones are sleek and colorful, and they bring back memories — at least for me — of flipping the phone open to hit speed dial.

The collection — 100 phones — sold out within minutes. A set of MP3 players also sold out.

Most recently, Kickback launched a line of $70 point-and-shoot cameras modeled after 2000s designs, in a collaboration with the musician Brent Faiyaz.

“It’s just as much of a fashion flex as it is a way to unplug,” Jackson said of the company’s products.

Nostalgia is paying off.

In 2025, Kickback’s total revenue surpassed $750,000, and it sold over 7,000 products, according to documentation provided by Jackson. Kickback brought in a gross profit of roughly $460,000.

Nostalgia as a marketing engine

Yearning for the early 2000s is shaping Kickback’s design choices and marketing.

Whether it’s rebooting Y2K gadgets or reviving the aesthetic of disposable film cameras, nostalgic marketing messaging is all about bringing people back to an offline world.

“It allows us to tell the story of this elusive, simpler time,” Jackson said.

“I don’t actually know if it was simpler,” he added. “I was a baby. But when I look back at a time without constant notifications and constantly being expected to be online … that sounds like a vacation. To me, that sounds like a luxury.”

Ironically, being online is also part of the business. Jackson’s own presence on Instagram and TikTok is the crux of Kickback’s marketing strategy.

Jackson is one of many young founders turning to the content creation engine. Between posts about brand building and design aesthetic, Jackson promotes Kickback’s products — like its portable CD player — by talking about wanting to get offline.

“I’m trying to spend less time on my phone, man,” he said in a February video.

Old tech, new business

Selling physical products direct-to-consumer isn’t a gold rush, though it has become Jackson’s full-time job.

“There’s months where I’ve had to tap into savings,” he said. “It’s totally changed month to month, and that’s something we’re really trying to stabilize this year.”

Kickback raised about $300,000 in venture capital funding in 2025.

Jackson wants to grow Kickback’s team. So far, he has primarily run the business by working with third-party factories, a designer based in Copenhagen, and a network of refurbishers. In April, he hired a chief operating officer.

“This cultural shift away from wanting to be on your phone all the time has been hugely beneficial to us,” Jackson said.

• “The Mandalorian and Grogu” had the worst opening ever for a “Star Wars” release.
• Disney played it too safe, and the movie felt like an elevated episode of “The Mandalorian.”
• “Star Wars” fans don’t want TV when they go to the movies. They want big, original stories.

For the last seven years, Disney has been biding its time waiting patiently for the right moment to bring the “Star Wars” universe back to the big screen.

Over Memorial Day weekend, fans finally went back to theaters for the first “Star Wars” movie since the disappointing end of the Skywalker saga with “The Rise of Skywalker.” And what they were rewarded with for their years of patience was the equivalent of a long episode of “The Mandalorian.”

“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” brought in $163 million at the worldwide box office over the four-day holiday weekend, making it the lowest opening ever for a “Star Wars” movie, doing worse than 2018’s Memorial Day weekend release of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which brought in $168 million worldwide and went on to earn only $392 million worldwide in its theatrical run.

It’s put Disney brass in a similar situation to 2019, when then-CEO Bob Iger declared that “Star Wars” movies were going on a “hiatus” after the release of “The Rise of Skywalker.” That break led to a savvy pivot to the small screen, with “Star Wars” spinoff show “The Mandalorian” launching Disney’s streaming service Disney+ in 2019.

Led by showrunner Jon Favreau, “The Mandalorian” leaned into the deep mythology of the franchise with a unique Western gunslinger aesthetic. It also introduced the world to Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, whose improbable cuteness helped make “Star Wars” a sensation for the first time since Disney reignited the fanbase with the theatrical release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015.

The show’s success led to more live-action shows (“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Andor,” “Ashoka,” “Skeleton Crew,” “The Acolyte”) that delved deeper into the “Star Wars” saga and were a satisfying feast for fanatics and casual fans alike.

Now, tasked with helming the return of “Star Wars” to the big screen, Favreau makes “The Mandalorian and Grogu” play like an extension of the beloved television show — and why would you head to theaters when you’re used to getting your Mando fix at home?

All of which begs the question: Did Disney’s pivot to TV kill “Star Wars” as we know it? Is the franchise no longer the gold standard for theatrical blockbusters?

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ felt like an extension of the TV show — not a full-blown theatrical event

Supersizing “The Mandalorian” into a feature film works on paper. It has the broadest appeal of any of the current “Star Wars” properties, and Favreau is a proven blockbuster hitmaker who’s brought in box office coin directing movies like Marvel’s “Iron Man” and live-action versions of Disney classics like “The Jungle Book” (2016) and “The Lion King” (2019).

But Disney and Lucasfilm seemingly didn’t consider that “Star Wars” fans are a fickle bunch. Though fans love the nostalgic nature of a galaxy far, far, away, they’re always craving something different. For every one fan who despises “The Last Jedi,” there are two who love it for its big swings (or vice versa — such is the paradox of the fanbase).

The fans weren’t looking for “The Mandalorian and Grogu” to be an elevated episode of the beloved show, but that’s what they got. Instead of Carl Weathers (RIP) giving Mando jobs, in the movie, it’s Sigourney Weaver. And when the show gets nostalgic, it misses the mark. Watching the muscular son of Jabba the Hut (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), fighting alongside Mando against creatures that look eerily similar to the ones Chewbacca played on the chessboard in the Millennium Falcon (the floor they fought on even looked like a chessboard!) felt forced.

That’s not to say the movie is a “Solo”-level disaster. The second half has a better pace and feels more cinematic, and the puppetry and stop-motion animation featured are some of the best the company has ever done, harkening back to its 1980s collaborations with Jim Henson on “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth.”

But the film’s close ties to the show likely turned off those who didn’t want to spend money on an IMAX-priced ticket to something they’ve been watching at home for years. This could be the start of a bigger problem for Disney: Like Pixar, Disney has programmed the “Star Wars” fan to settle for getting content outside of a movie theater. And there’s only one way to stop that.

‘Star Wars’ fans are craving originality on the big screen

The lackluster opening for “The Mandalorian and Grogu” at the box office — by “Star Wars” standards, anyway — is disappointing, but the naysayers will get even louder if the movie underperforms in its second weekend in theaters.

This puts even more pressure on Disney to make sure its next “Star Wars” theatrical release, “Starfighter,” is done right.

Directed by Shawn Levy (“Free Guy”) and starring Ryan Gosling, the movie is a completely original story set five years after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker.” That’s all we know, and that’s all we need to know!

Dangling a carrot of originality in front of “Star Wars” fans is essential right now, because they want to be challenged. If the success of “The Mandalorian” and “Andor” proved anything, it’s that “Star Wars” fans will always show up — but they will show up and be loyal if the story being told expands on what they thought a “Star Wars” tale could be.

By iterating on an existing story, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” played it too safe. Fans want more daring, original stories; that should have been the biggest takeaway from the franchise’s self-imposed hiatus. For “Star Wars” to get back to its theatrical glory, this is the way.

• Donald Trump Jr. married Bettina Anderson, a Palm Beach model and socialite, on May 24.
• Trump Jr. was previously engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle and married to Vanessa Trump.
• Anderson and Trump Jr. were first linked in September 2024 and attended the inauguration together.

Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson are married.

The couple tied the knot on a private island in the Bahamas over Memorial Day weekend.

Trump Jr., 48, and Anderson, 39, made their public debut as a couple at President Donald Trump’s inauguration following months of speculation about the nature of their relationship.

Since going public in January 2025, Trump Jr. and Anderson have appeared together at numerous White House events and Palm Beach galas.

Trump Jr., who is Trump’s oldest son, was previously married to Vanessa Trump, with whom he has five children, but they divorced in 2018. In 2020, he got engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and campaign advisor whom Trump appointed as his administration’s ambassador to Greece, but they broke up in 2024.

Anderson, a Palm Beach socialite, model, and the founder and executive director of the wildlife conservation nonprofit Project Paradise, was first spotted in the Trump family’s orbit at the Republican National Convention in July 2024.

Trump announced his son’s engagement to Anderson at a White House holiday party in December.

Representatives for the White House, Trump Jr., Guilfoyle, and Anderson did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Here’s a timeline of their relationship.

July 2024: Bettina Anderson was seated behind Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at the Republican National Convention.

Anderson was photographed sitting behind Trump Jr., Guilfoyle, and other members of the Trump family on the third and fourth days of the Republican National Convention.

Guilfoyle was still wearing her engagement ring.

September 2024: The Daily Mail reported that Anderson and Trump Jr. were seen kissing and eating brunch together in Palm Beach.

Anderson and Trump Jr. were photographed dining together at the Honor Bar, a restaurant located about 4 miles from Mar-a-Lago, The Daily Mail reported.

Neither responded to a request for comment at the time about the nature of their relationship.

October 2024: Anderson cohosted a Trump campaign fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago featuring Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Tickets to the fundraising dinner cost $100,000 a couple, and admission to a fireside chat cost $30,000 a couple, the Palm Beach Daily News reported. Serving on the host committee of the event required a $250,000 contribution.

December 2024: Anderson and Trump Jr. were photographed holding hands in Palm Beach.

Anderson and Trump Jr. were photographed holding hands as they left Buccan, a restaurant in Palm Beach, on Anderson’s 38th birthday, The Daily Mail reported.

Anderson also shared a photo on her Instagram story of a bouquet of flowers and a card reading, “Many have said you’re aging out but I think you’re perfect…happy birthday!” She tagged Trump Jr. in the post, suggesting he was the sender.

Later that month, Anderson joined Trump Jr. at the Trump family’s New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago.

December 2024: Trump Jr. told Page Six that he and Guilfoyle “will never stop caring for each other.”

While Trump Jr. did not officially confirm that he and Guilfoyle had broken off their engagement, he said in a statement to Page Six that they “will always keep a special bond” and that he “could not be more proud of her and the important role she’ll continue to play in my father’s administration” as ambassador to Greece.

January 2025: Anderson and Trump Jr. attended inauguration events together, marking their public debut as a couple.

Anderson and Trump Jr. attended an inaugural reception at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, DC, on January 18. On January 19, they held hands and danced to “YMCA” by The Village People at the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball.

Anderson and Trump Jr. traveled to the Capitol Rotunda together on Inauguration Day but sat separately for the ceremony. Trump Jr. sat with his family members on the inaugural platform, while Anderson took her seat in the crowd.

Guilfoyle was also seated in the audience for the inauguration, but not with the Trump family as she had been at the RNC.

February 2025: They attended the Super Bowl together.

President Trump was the first sitting president to ever attend the Super Bowl. He was joined by Trump Jr., Anderson, and other family members and associates to watch the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

March 2025: Trump Jr. and Anderson engaged in public displays of affection at Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.

Trump Jr. and Anderson were photographed cuddling in their seats in the House chamber before Trump’s speech began.

March 2025: The couple walked the red carpet together at a gala in Palm Beach.

Trump Jr. and Anderson attended the mfAR Palm Beach Gala in support of the organization’s AIDS research and global HIV prevention.

Other celebrities in attendance included Martha Stewart, who received mfAR’s Award of Inspiration, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ricky Martin.

The gala was held days after People magazine reported that Trump Jr.’s ex-wife, Vanessa Trump, was dating Tiger Woods.

April 2025: Anderson and Trump Jr. attended the White House Easter Egg Roll.

That same month, they also attended a golf event at Trump National Doral, Trump’s golf resort in Doral, Florida.

June 2025: They appeared together at another official White House event, the US Army’s 250th anniversary military parade.

Trump Jr. and Anderson were seated in front of Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos for the military parade in Washington, DC, which featured 6,600 troops, 150 vehicles, and over 50 aircraft.

July 2025: Anderson joined Trump Jr. and two of his children on Trump’s visit to Scotland.

Trump Jr. and Anderson joined Eric and Lara Trump at Trump Turnberry, one of Trump’s golf clubs in Scotland, for the announcement of a new trade deal between the US and the European Union.

They were then joined by two of Trump Jr.’s children, Spencer and Chloe, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new golf course at Trump International Golf Links.

December 2025: Trump announced the couple’s engagement at a White House holiday party.

Around the same time that Page Six broke the news of Trump Jr. and Anderson’s engagement, Trump announced that the two were engaged and called them up to the White House podium to say a few words.

In a video from the event shared by far-right activist Laura Loomer, Trump Jr. thanked Anderson “for that one word, yes.”

Anderson could be seen in the video wearing a diamond ring.

“This has really been the most unforgettable weekend of my life, and I get to marry the love of my life, and I feel just like the luckiest girl in the world,” Anderson said at the holiday party, according to the video.

May 2026: Trump Jr. and Anderson held their wedding in the Bahamas over Memorial Day weekend.

Trump Jr. and Anderson obtained a Florida marriage license and legally wed on May 21, days ahead of their ceremony on a private island in the Bahamas on May 24, TMZ was the first to report.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Eric Trump and Lara Trump, and Tiffany Trump and Michael Buolos were in attendance in the Bahamas, their social media posts showed.

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he was unable to attend the wedding.

“While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so,” the president wrote. “I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time. Congratulations to Don and Bettina!”

• Pope Leo XIV shared his first encyclical, or a letter to the church, on Monday.
• He wrote about AI-related issues, from monopolies to employment concerns.
• Tech leaders, politicians, and journalists are now speaking out in response.

Big names in tech, politics, and more are responding to the pope’s lengthy letter about AI.

Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, or a letter to the church about a relevant social issue, on Monday. His writing spans 245 paragraphs and covers AI-related monopolies, employment concerns, ethics, and more.

He titled the letter: “Magnifica humanitas: on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.”

Now, a wide range of people are sharing their thoughts on his stance. Here’s what they’re saying.

David Sacks

Tech investor and former White House AI czar David Sacks wrote on X that the pope is right to say that AI should be a tool that helps humans, not one that leads to “domination or exclusion.”

Still, he asked, “If we hand governments sweeping power over AI development in the name of safety, how do we prevent it from being used to censor, surveil, and control citizens — as Orwell foretold in 1984?”

“This is the real alignment problem,” he added. “The oldest questions of human nature and authority don’t disappear in the AI age. They become newly relevant.”

Blake Scholl

Blake Scholl, the founder and CEO of Boom Technology, a company developing a supersonic airliner, disagreed with the pope.

On X, he wrote: “Bad take from the Pope. Tech revolutions tend to eliminate some jobs while creating others. If we cling onto jobs, we’d still be plowing fields by hand out of fear of disruption.”

Yoshua Bengio

Yoshua Bengio, a professor, AI researcher, and Canadian computer scientist, wrote on X that he agrees with the pope’s sentiments.

“The Vatican and other global institutions can and must play a role in the global dialogue on AI to raise public awareness and mobilize society for the challenges ahead,” Bengio said.

Tanishq Mathew Abraham

Tanishq Mathew Abraham, a biomedical engineer and the founder of the medical AI research center, MedARC, responded to the pope’s encyclical on X.

He highlighted that Pope Leo XIV doesn’t view AI as “inherently evil,” but still acknowledges that technology is “never neutral.”

“Glad to see a nuanced, well-thought-out take on AI from the Catholic Church,” Abraham wrote.

Sen. Chris Murphy

Pope Leo XIV made it clear in his letter that he believes AI shouldn’t be monopolized by tech leaders.

Chris Murphy, a Connecticut senator, said on X that the pope’s stance is “really important.”

“AI threatens to undermine the basic building blocks of humanity as it seeks to replace our most basic functions, like creativity, friendship, and critical thinking,” he added.

Gerald Leo Posner

Gerald Leo Posner, an author and investigative reporter, dubbed the pope’s encyclical “Jesus AI,” or “what it would look like if the Pope, instead of Elon Musk, had created Grok.”

Jesus AI just dropped. Or at least what it would look like if the Pope, instead of Elon Musk, had created Grok.

First American Pope Leo XIV’s groundbreaking encyclical Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) calls for robust AI regulation to safeguard human dignity. It’s… pic.twitter.com/TODmGWiEKX

— Gerald Posner (@geraldposner) May 25, 2026

On X, he wrote: “I appreciate this historical moment for the Vatican trying to set some guardrails for AI and Silicon Valley. However, from all my reporting, tech is likely to rush past the generalized safety suggestions set out in this massive encyclical.”

Brian Burch

Brian Burch is the current ambassador of the US Embassy to the Holy See. He attended the pope’s “Magnifica Humanitas” presentation on Monday.

Later, on X, the Embassy’s official account shared Burch’s perspective, beginning with a note that the Vatican leadership “contributes meaningfully” to the broader AI conversation.

“The United States shares the Holy See’s commitment to ensuring AI serves humanity and upholds fundamental values,” Burch said. “The Trump Administration believes that American leadership in AI innovation is essential to our national security and economic prosperity of our people. Our approach prioritizes pro-innovation policies enabling the private sector to develop transformative AI technologies that benefit people worldwide.”

He also said that the US aims to use American AI technology to create systems that “reflect democratic values rather than authoritarian control.”

Christopher Hale

Christopher Hale, a democratic politician, took to X after Pope Leo XIV shared his writings.

“A lot of folks in the media severely underestimated how much of an immediate bang Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI would have,” Hale wrote.

He also applauded Anthropic cofounder Chris Olah’s remarks, calling them “refreshing,” and said that the Catholic Church “has a lot of global main character energy this morning, even among those who declared the Church dead and irrelevant not too long ago.”