Pope Leo Schooled the Tech Bros on Tolkien

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, warns that AI can turn people into mere tools of efficiency.

He frames AI through the lens of human dignity and rejects a technocratic model that puts power above the person.

The pope also invokes J.R.R. Tolkien as a guide for resisting corrupt power and moral distortion.

The article contrasts this with Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, whose Tolkien references critics say twist the books’ anti-authoritarian message.