The Pope Weighs In On AI: Build A City, Not A Tower Of Babel.
In his first encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," Pope Leo XIV framed the future of artificial intelligence as a choice between two construction projects: Babel, built by people so captivated by their own ambition they never ask what they're building or whom it serves; and Nehemiah's Jerusalem, governed by the people who will have to live with what gets built.
Based on WSJ reporting · Capital Wealth analysis by Sean Anees Saifi · June 11, 2026
Light streaming through a cathedral window onto a stone floor.
The Story
In his first encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," Pope Leo XIV framed the future of artificial intelligence as a choice between two construction projects: Babel, built by people so captivated by their own ambition they never ask what they're building or whom it serves; and Nehemiah's Jerusalem, governed by the people who will have to live with what gets built. It's a striking moral marker laid down over the technology reshaping every portfolio on earth.
What This Means For The Book
I'm not putting the Pope in an asset-allocation model. But the point is a good investing discipline too: be clear-eyed about what you're building. We own AI through profitable, accountable companies and the real-world infrastructure they depend on — the power, the fiber, the chips — not the most speculative promises. In a week the market reminded everyone that froth gets punished, that's a comfortable place to stand.
