Pope Leo Schooled the Tech Bros on Tolkien
Original reporting by Wired
Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas,” released this week, offered spiritual guidance on a defining challenge of our era: "safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence." While the papal letter predictably drew from a rich Catholic tradition, one name stood out to many readers as strikingly unconventional: J.R.R. Tolkien, the devout Catholic author behind *The Lord of the Rings*.
The pontiff's lengthy text cements his position as an AI skeptic, building on warnings from Pope Francis about a "technocratic paradigm" that risks reducing both creation and humanity to mere cogs in an efficiency-driven system. Leo explicitly likens AI's rise to the Industrial Revolution, echoing his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, who championed workers' dignity amid earlier technological upheaval.
Tolkien's True Meaning
Yet, the inclusion of Tolkien and a poignant quote from his wizard Gandalf feels particularly targeted. It serves as a stark counterpoint to the self-serving and often ridiculed interpretations of Middle-earth by tech oligarchs like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, who have, for instance, named companies after spying devices or misinterpreted Tolkien as an anti-immigration advocate. While they embrace the very power Tolkien critiqued, Pope Leo invokes Gandalf's wisdom: "It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know." This message champions human responsibility and dignity against the unchecked technological ambition and cultural dominance pursued by some, perhaps even intentionally “trolling” those who have profoundly misunderstood Tolkien's timeless allegories.
Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas,” firmly establishes the Vatican as a leading moral voice in the global discourse on artificial intelligence. His explicit invocation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gandalf, contrasting sharply with the self-serving misinterpretations of figures like Thiel and Musk, is more than a rhetorical device. It underscores a profound ethical clash: between a human-centered vision of technology and one driven by unchecked power, profit, and potentially authoritarian control. The Pope’s message is a clear call for humility, responsibility, and a recognition that humanity’s role is not to master all tides, but to diligently cultivate the fields within our reach for the succour of future generations, ensuring a clean earth for those who follow.
A Moral Imperative
This papal intervention marks a significant moment, transforming the discussion from a purely technological or economic debate into a deeply ethical one with global implications. The Church, through Pope Leo, is actively constructing a robust moral framework for AI development, challenging the prevailing technocratic paradigm that often prioritizes efficiency and dominion over human dignity and environmental stewardship. This engagement sends a powerful signal to policymakers, developers, and the public globally: the future of AI must be guided by universal principles of justice, equity, and a profound respect for the human person. It positions the Vatican as a crucial counter-balance to Silicon Valley’s often unfettered ambition, advocating for a human-first approach that foregrounds the long-term well-being of all over the short-term gains of a powerful few. In doing so, it asserts the necessity of a sustained, critical humanist perspective in an era increasingly defined by technological acceleration.