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Pope Leo XIV opens a four-day visit to France this weekend that is expected to touch on church teaching about the value of all human life. His visit comes after France in 2024 enshrined abortion as a constitutional right and recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. Leo has emphasized the need to protect the dignity of all human life, from immigrants to the sick and unborn, most significantly in his inaugural encyclical on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. During the Sept. 25-28 trip, Leo is also expected to discuss AI at UNESCO.

Asian shares are mostly advancing as investors monitor updates ahead of the expected meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week in Washington. U.S. futures are also higher. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday that the U.S. had “a very successful engagement” with the Chinese side. Technology stocks in Asia also moved higher Monday on the AI boom, even as American tech leaders called for a slowdown in AI development on safety concerns. On Friday, Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.2%.

The risks of artificial intelligence are expected to be a focus as U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping prepare to meet in Washington. Discussions on AI safety have intensified after American AI leaders, led by Anthropic’s CEO, called for a global slowdown in AI development due to safety concerns. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng that the two countries discussed the setting up of a mechanism on AI dialogue. The U.S. aims to maintain its AI lead while limiting China's progress, complicating international AI talks. Experts suggest that the leaders could discuss AI risks like cyberattacks and incident reporting. However, broader agreements, such as export controls, are unlikely due to limited collaboration space.

World leaders are meeting under a global cloud of wars and bitter divisions for their annual meeting at the United Nations this week. And they're facing new fears that runaway artificial intelligence could threaten humanity, and more earthly worries that climate shocks and escalating prices are already making life much tougher for hundreds of millions of people. The meeting, starting Tuesday, will also be consumed with the major wars in Iran, Gaza, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar and a burning question:. Can the leaders do anything to end them?

The U.S. is proposing a new notification system with China for artificial intelligence incidents that could threaten national security. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the plan on Sunday after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. Bessent says greater transparency is critical between the world’s two leading AI powers. Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said weekend meetings with their Chinese counterparts laid the groundwork for talks Thursday at the White House between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

When Donald Trump ran for office a decade ago, he called China a menace to the U.S. economy. Today, the Republican president had changed his tune. He's playing down the impact that Beijing has on trade, artificial intelligence and other issues. His new strategy of currying favor with China’s Xi Jinping has helped undermine traditional U.S. economic and national security alliances. Xi will be in Washington for a state dinner Thursday. Meanwhile, other Western leaders have found themselves trying to shore up their economic ties with China, too. Trump’s focus on having a good relationship with Xi has left experts questioning whether the U.S. is adequately positioning itself to compete against China.

AI developers are striving for self-improvement, aiming for technology that can enhance itself. Concerns about AI escaping human control have led to questions about recursive self-improvement, or RSI. This concept involves AI models improving themselves and building their own successors, either with human supervision or autonomously. Anthropic has shared metrics showing its model Claude leading in research and development. OpenAI has developed an automated "research intern" and aims for an AI "researcher" by 2028. While some companies push forward, others emphasize the need for human control and global cooperation to ensure safety and alignment in AI development.

Will Lawrence, a progressive Democratic congressional candidate in Michigan, is trying to harness unease over the rapid pace of artificial intelligence development to defeat Republican Rep. Tom Barrett. Lawrence is focused on opposing data centers, a stance that has even won support from some Republicans. Tech anxiety has created an opening for leftist Democrats like Lawrence, who have long argued that their outsider, anticorporate message can have broader appeal than the moderate establishment. Republicans have tried to turn Lawrence into a national symbol of Democratic radicalism because he once called for an end to fossil fuels, defunding the police and maintaining open borders.

Amid growing panic over the risks posed by rapidly developing AI technology, potential 2028 Democratic candidates are scrambling to respond — trying to show they are doing something, even as they acknowledge they need a reluctant Washington to step up. On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to accelerate implementation of a California law that calls for independent oversight of AI companies and the use of “kill switches” so developers have the ability to shut down their systems, if needed. It's the latest effort by democratic lawmakers and candidates across the country after Republican President Donald Trump angrily dismissed the warnings as a “HOAX.”