The head of Europe's biggest AI company rejects the pope's criticism: “It really is a threat”

Arthur Mensch, chief executive of Mistral AI, on Thursday dismissed Pope Leo's criticism of using artificial intelligence for military purposes, saying Europe needs its own tools to deter rivals using the technology, Reuters reports.

Pope Leo XIV published a document on Monday calling for international regulations to limit the development of artificial intelligence systems and warned that they could spread false information and fuel permanent conflicts. He also criticized the use of artificial intelligence in warfare.

Mensch, who is also co-founder of Mistral, said Europe cannot ignore the use of artificial intelligence by adversaries. Mistral AI is considered Europe's only major company in the development of artificial intelligence, a field dominated by Silicon Valley giants.

The French company was valued at 11.7 billion euros ($14 billion) after its latest funding round, according to Forbes. By comparison, OpenAI is valued at $852 billion, while the valuation of Anthropic, which developed the Claude model, recently reached $1 trillion, according to some estimates.

“We are all for peace, but if you look at our rivals and adversaries in the world, they use artificial intelligence… As long as we have adversaries that pose a threat – and they do pose a threat – we have to have our own capabilities,” the Mistral AI chief told reporters on Thursday.

The French company is considered essential to Europe's tech “sovereignty”.

Mistral, which was valued at 11.7 billion euros after a funding round last year, is positioning itself as a European alternative to US artificial intelligence giants as part of a broader European effort to reduce dependence on US tech companies.

The company announced Thursday that it will build a data center in France at Les Ulis with 10 megawatts of computing power. The plan is for it to be inaugurated in the second half of 2026.

The project, part of a wider €4 billion investment strategy, will complement existing facilities in Sweden and France and help the company reach its goal of 200 megawatts of computing power by the end of 2027 and 1 gigawatt by 2030.

The expansion is part of Europe's broader effort to speed up the development of data center infrastructure to compete with the United States, backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has pointed out that the country's energy exports are an advantage for such projects.

Mistral AI boss assures 'everything will be fine'

Around the world, including in France, the construction of data centers is increasingly facing opposition from residents near these sites.

Mistral's announcement comes amid growing skepticism about tech companies, especially among younger generations. Recently, videos of students booing company executives during graduation ceremonies in the United States have emerged, highlighting concerns about the social impact of artificial intelligence.

“I think there's a certain natural fear about artificial intelligence,” Mensch said. “It's not the first time that people are a little worried about something new coming out. But it will be fine. We'll find a way to use it effectively,” he added.