Pope Leo XIV has created a study group on artificial intelligence in a sign of his ongoing concern about the technology. The Vatican announced the creation of an in-house study group even as it gears up to release Leo's first encyclical. It's expected to emphasize the need for an ethics-based approach to AI that prioritizes human dignity and peace. Vatican officials said Leo signed it on the anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s significant encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” or Of New Things. This new document is expected to address AI within the context of the church's social teachings.

The U.S. stock market fell from its records and joined a worldwide drop for stocks after higher oil prices sent a shiver through the bond market. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% Friday from its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.5% from its own record. Technology stocks led the market lower, particularly AI winners. They had shot so high that some critics said they had gone too far. Yields jumped in the bond market on worries about how much rising oil prices will worsen inflation. The 30-year Treasury yield is back to where it was in 2007.

Pope Leo XIV has denounced investments in AI and high-tech weaponry, warning they lead to a “spiral of annihilation.” He called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine during a visit to Rome’s La Sapienza University on Thursday. This marked the first papal visit to the campus since 2008. The pope was warmly welcomed, including by young Palestinians who arrived in Italy this week to study. Leo criticized increased military spending at the expense of education and healthcare. He emphasized the need for responsible AI development and highlighted the importance of valuing life and peace.

Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI made their final arguments Thursday in the landmark trial whose outcome could shape the future of artificial intelligence. Musk, the world’s richest man, was a co-founder of OpenAI, the company that launched in 2015 and went on to create ChatGPT. After Musk invested $38 million in its first years, his lawsuit filed in 2024 accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his top deputy of shifting into a moneymaking mode behind his back.

The U.S. stock market rose to more records after Cisco Systems joined the parade of companies reporting fatter profits for the start of 2026 than analysts expected. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% Thursday to set an all-time high for a second straight day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% and finished a day above the 50,000 level for the first time since the war with Iran began. The Nasdaq composite added 0.9% to its own record. Cisco led the way after talking up demand it's seeing from AI and other customers, while oil prices held relatively steady.

A rebound for technology stocks led Wall Street to records, even though the majority of U.S. stocks fell following another discouraging update on inflation. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% Wednesday and topped its prior all-time high set early this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2% to its own record. Nvidia and other tech stocks led the way, a day after stumbling in an industrywide swoon. Most other stocks weakened after a report showed inflation at the U.S. wholesale level was significantly worse last month than economists expected.

A sudden halt for technology stocks put the brakes on Wall Street's record-setting run. The S&P 500 dipped 0.2% Tuesday from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its own record. Stocks that had roared higher in the artificial-intelligence boom were some of the market's heaviest weights. The pullback began in Asia, where South Korea’s Kospi index tumbled 2.3% on worries that the government may redistribute windfall AI profits to its citizens. Oil prices meanwhile rose more than 3% as the war with Iran threatens to drag on.

A sudden halt for technology stocks put the brakes on Wall Street’s record-setting run. The S&P 500 dipped 0.2% Tuesday from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its own record. Stocks that had roared higher in the artificial-intelligence boom were some of the market’s heaviest weights. The pullback began in Asia, where South Korea’s Kospi index tumbled 2.3% on worries that the government may redistribute windfall AI profits to its citizens. Oil prices meanwhile rose more than 3% as the war with Iran threatens to drag on.

Two national agencies fighting corruption in Ukraine have named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff as an official suspect in a major graft investigation. They say Zelenskyy is not under suspicion in the case. The agencies announced that Andriy Yermak is suspected in an alleged $10.5 million money-laundering scheme. The move is a step short of formally charging Yermak, who resigned in November. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy met with the CEO of Palantir Technologies as a three-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire that decreased the fighting but failed to stop it altogether ended Monday.

In a trial featuring a clash between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, neither of the tech titans has emerged as an overly sympathetic character. But nobody has more to lose than Altman, who is expected to take the stand this week to defend himself. Already, testimony about Altman’s turbulent tenure at the ChatGPT maker has become prime fodder for internet jokes. Even if Musk loses the case, the trial has invited further scrutiny of Altman’s leadership at a pivotal time for the company and its competition with Musk’s own AI firm and another rival, Anthropic, formed by a group of seven ex-OpenAI leaders.