Pope Leo XIV warns against AI in first encyclical
pope leo xiv cited tolkien in his first encyclical 'magnifica humanitas' to warn against the 'technocratic paradigm' of artificial intelligence and the dominance of tech oligarchs racing to develop agi.
in his first encyclical, 'magnifica humanitas,' pope leo xiv declared himself a skeptic of artificial intelligence, comparing its rise to the industrial revolution. he cautioned against 'the growing dominance of a technocratic paradigm' that treats humans as mere instruments of efficiency, directly critiquing the motives of tech billionaires racing to build agi. the pope utilized a quote from tolkien's gandalf to advocate for personal responsibility and 'uprooting the evil in the fields that we know' instead of trying to master the tides of the world through technology. this theological stance explicitly rebukes the interpretations of tolkien by figures like peter thiel and elon musk, who the text suggests embrace the corrupting power of the ring or profit-driven expansion. the letter solidifies the vatican's position on ai, emphasizing the protection of human dignity against the rapid advancement of mechanized and autonomous systems.