The Pope Leo XIV presented his new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”) this Monday at the Vatican, a document focused on the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on society, in which he included a striking reference to "The Lord of the Rings" to define the role of humanity in the face of these advancements.
In an unusual gesture, the pontiff himself led the presentation of the text, accompanied by high-ranking prelates, theologians, and Christopher Olah, co-founder of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic. The encyclical, structured in five chapters, presents a critical but not condemnatory view of technology.
Within the section “We can all do our part”, Leo XIV quoted the author of The Lord of the Rings to frame human responsibility: “The Catholic author of the 20th century J.R.R. Tolkien, in the words of one of the protagonists of his novels, described our responsibility this way: ‘It is not our place to dominate all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the relief of the years in which we live, uprooting the evil from the fields we know, so that those who come after may find clean land to cultivate’.”
The document argues that technology should not be seen as a threat in itself. It states that it is not “an antagonistic force to humanity” nor “intrinsically evil”. However, it warns that “it is never neutral, because it adopts the characteristics of those who conceive, finance, regulate, and use it.”
One of the central themes of the text is the warning about the concentration of technological power. “AI tends to increase the power of those who already possess economic resources, experience, and access to data,” the Pope noted.
In that vein, he added: “Small but very influential groups can shape information and consumption patterns, influence democratic processes, and steer economic dynamics in their own favor, undermining social justice and solidarity among peoples.”
