A Warning About the Future of Tech and People
A Call to Pause, Reflect, and Prioritize People Over Profit
The first letter from Pope Leo XIV warns that new technology could transform society into a modern Tower of Babel—a place where humanity either stands on equal footing with the divine or ends up living under its shadow. He reminds us that pride, like the ancient story of Babel, can erode understanding and unity.
Two Choices: Equality or Control
- Build a city that puts people on the same level as God – a vision of shared dignity and respect.
- Create a place where humans and God live together – one that risks reducing people to data points in the pursuit of profit.
The Pope urges against a system where every click, purchase, or movement is recorded, allowing invisible power to predict and influence actions without our awareness. Freedom, he argues, must protect people from being treated as mere tools for profit.
Machines and Moral Judgment
The letter highlights the danger of allowing machines to decide life‑and‑death outcomes in war. Machines lack conscience, responsibility, and the capacity to see others as people. The Pope calls for strict rules on AI in weapons to preserve human dignity and keep warfare as a last resort.
A Gandalf‑Inspired Reminder
Using a quote from Tolkien’s Gandalf, the Pope reminds us that we cannot control everything. Instead, “small acts of love and integrity” can guard against dehumanization.
“We do not need to control all the things in the world; we must protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
A Call to Action
The letter ends with a plea for collective effort: work together for a society that values people over profit. It urges careful thought about how technology reshapes our world, insisting that human dignity remain at the heart of progress.
