Tolkien, Technology, and Totalizing Forces

The unsettling resemblance between the One Ring and Artificial Intelligence

Eye of Sauron, from the cover of the first edition of Lord of the Rings

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings, we learn of a restless and ever-growing evil that, if not stopped, will soon take over all of Middle Earth. That evil is the dark power of Sauron, embodied in his One Ring. When I consider our future under rapidly expanding technological advancements such as AI, I cannot help but consider the parallels between these ever-expanding “tools” and the totalitarian nature of the Ring. Indeed, those who have studied technology the most have come to acknowledge that technology is in itself a totalitarian force. They may not all call it evil, but these scholars acknowledge that it is all-encompassing; it also bends all of society to its “will” and remakes it in its image. Consider the words of Jacques Ellul, a French sociologist, philosopher, and Catholic, who called the world we now live in, A Technological Society. In his work by that same name, Ellul was not speaking to singular technologies, such as airplanes and automobiles, but of a “technological milieu”, or, a technological environment that has taken the place of nature, our former environment. He describes this new milieu as “totalizing and aspiring to totality.” While smart phones, computers, televisions and the like are examples of singular technologies, they all have helped weave a new fabric of reality. Ellul explains that this new reality then “modif[ies] man’s very essence [and] he must adapt himself to a universe for which he was not created.” Neil Postman—who was perhaps the most prolific writer on our digital age and deeply influenced by Ellul’s work—explains this as an ecological shift. In his book, Technopoly, He says,

“I mean ‘ecological’ in the same sense as the word is used by environmental scientists. One significant change generates total change. If you remove the caterpillars from a given habitat, you are not left with the same environment minus caterpillars: you have a new environment, and you have reconstituted the conditions of survival; the same is true if you add caterpillars to an environment that has had none. This is how the ecology of media works as well. A new technology does not add or subtract something. It changes everything.”

The forging of the Ring was an ecological shift that changed Middle Earth entirely; while its presence persisted, its corrupting power would continue to infect and expand. The analogous relationship here with AI is not perfect. AI is just one example among many regarding the technologies that have caused this ecological shift. My point is not to say that any and every facet of AI is abjectly evil as the Ring is, but to compare the totalitarian nature of each. The Ring was not the birth of evil itself, evil already existed. And AI was not the birth of technology, nor did it birth the technological world. But for the purpose of this essay, the Ring in Tolkien’s world, and AI in our own, both represent the current pinnacle of available power. The nature of such power is one that brings all things into referential and deferential relationship to itself. AI presents us with a new horizon in a new world where all that we think, do, and say may be subject to its machinations.

Central to Tolkien’s plot is that the power of the Ring cannot be overcome, only resisted, and even then it cannot be resisted forever. All will eventually succumb to its will. The greatest folly that presents itself in the story is the idea that someone strong and wise enough could use the Ring to promote what is good rather than what is evil. To that, we know the response: “You cannot wield it!” Those with wisdom recognized that no one would be able safely use the ring due to its totalizing nature, and therefore they would not even touch it. Elrond explains that for those who are most powerful in their own strength, the Ring to them, “holds an even deadlier peril.” He goes on to say:

The very desire of it corrupts the heart. Consider Saruman. If any of the Wise should with this Ring overthrow the Lord of Mordor, using his own arts, he would then set himself on Sauron’s throne, and yet another Dark Lord would appear. And that is another reason why the Ring should be destroyed: as long as it is in the world it will be a danger even to the Wise.

We see that it could not be used half-heartedly, or just for a bit and then put away until it was needed again. “The Ring wants to be found,” said Gandalf, because it had an end it was made to meet. It was a totalizing force that could not be used contrary to its own nature and purposes. And yet it remained tantalizing and deceptive, even to brave men like Boromir, who could not rid himself of the idea that the Ring could be their salvation. Similarly, the current and potential benefits of AI are tantalizing to its proponents: In media, it could solve the disinformation problem; in healthcare, it could spot diseases and find novel treatments; in warfare it could process vast amounts of data and make strategic recommendations; in marketing and business it could streamline processes and remove time-wasting hurdles (hurdles perhaps being another word for people). Simply put, it could innovate new solutions to our most complex problems. Jaques Ellul, however, reminds us:

The subtle illusion of this invasive methodology of technique is that people view technology as the liberator of mankind, the operational instrument that sets them free from natural function. Quite the contrary, technique enslaves people, while proffering them the mere illusion of freedom, all the while tyrannically conforming them to the demands of the technological society with its complex of artificial operational objectives.

With this in mind, consider when Gandalf rides to Isengard to consult Saruman the Wise about the imminent threat of Mordor. He is met with this response, “Against the power of Mordor there can be no victory. We must join with him, Gandalf. We must join with Sauron. It would be wise, my friend." The leading voices of today seem to echo Saruman by calling for us join ourselves to the totalizing power of AI. Proponents argue that AI is already here, that it is the future whether we like it or not, and so we must learn to embrace it and use it for good. But, like the Ring, we cannot wield it in the way we think we can. It will bend humanity to its likeness and it already has. Take the words of reformational philosopher Hendrik Van Riessen in his work, The Society of the Future:

Modern technique forms a close braidwork of interrelated services in the life of the community that encircles huge masses of men and binds every man with very strong ties. The framework of technical organization within large industry and in all of society has become an independent power in opposition to man, so that the latter must simply fit himself into that huge frame and is virtually its prisoner…By means of technique man has freed himself from the grip of nature, but now his own creation threatens to pull him into chains.

Many argue that there is no issue with replacing nature with Technique because humans will always organize themselves around something and a technological world is far more predictable than a natural one. But here it’s important to consider what we are suited for. This is a theological consideration and therefore mostly overlooked by many who instead hold strongly to the idea that, overall, AI will transform people’s lives for the better; that it will give us more time for the important things while taking over what is mundane and arduous. And yet, even now, as we watch the very earliest stages of AI, we see that it has already begun to infiltrate the arts. If AI is only meant to ease our burdensome existence so that we can do “what really matters”, I wonder why one of its first aims has been to encroach on what really matters, namely art. Art… what Chesterton called, “The signature of man”. Of course, It is absurd to consider anything that AI produces to be actual art. A student who lifts entire pages of text into their own essay and passes it off as their own is justly called a cheat, and a cheat is any person who claims to have made “art” by feeding Grok a prompt. The willful support and advancement of a machine that produces bastardized and plagiarized “works of art” certainly points to a people whose minds and wills are being dominated by a nefarious force. It is difficult to not ask any who would promote such a practice what Gandalf asked Saruman, “Tell me…when did you abandon reason for madness?”

AI is not only an exploitative force concerning humanity, but also concerning the environment. In The Lord of the Rings, we watch as entire forests are leveled for Saruman’s war machine. It has long been understood that Tolkien meant this symbolically as well—the felling of trees shows how industrialization creates an apathy, even a malevolence, toward the natural world in which we are meant to live. Tolkien’s view of technology is helpful to consider. What he views as negative technology is "all use of external plans or devices instead of development of the inherent inner powers or talents – or even the use of these talents with the corrupted motive of dominating: bulldozing the real world, or coercing other wills.” The development of our inner powers and talents is greatly hindered by the use of AI as it causes us to forego the processes that reveal and cultivate them. AI is also “bulldozing the real world” both figuratively and literally as it breaks down what it means to be a person in relationship to other people and to nature, and as it requires vast amounts of natural resources to operate. For example, the United Nations recently reported that “Global AI demand is expected to consume 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters of water by 2027”, an amount that surpasses Denmark’s annual water consumption.

Let us move on to the Gollumizing effects of the Ring on the wearer. Gollum, Bilbo, and Frodo all bore the ring for different lengths of time and for different purposes. We see the deleterious effects of the Ring on all of them but especially Gollum, who is a shell of what he began as. He was immediately overcome by the Ring’s power and began his ownership through an act of murder. He then wore the Ring for 500 years and during that time underwent a terrifying transformation from a Stoor Hobbit to a shadowy, sallow, slimy creature who prefers dark, dank subterranean places to the clear light of day. We understand from Gandalf that a mortal who possesses the Ring, “does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the dark power that rules the Rings.” The Technological Milieu we now live in as exemplified by the internet, social media, and AI, will aid in our own fading and in a “constant weariness” that pervades our lives.

It is important to recall from Gandalf’s explanation that whoever put on the Ring disappeared to all but Sauron and his agents. To them he became visible and entirely vulnerable. It was through the use of the Ring that Sauron could find and control them. So too, the chronically-online disappears from his own real life and is made ever-more visible to the forces that would exploit him for their own purposes. This can be clearly seen in the ways in which advertising companies and social media platforms behave predatorily as they collect user data and monitor online behavior. These companies then employ their algorithms to synthesize this information and provide each of us with an online experience that exploits our interests, fears, and vices. The more time we spend online, the more visible we become to the corporations who depend on our online presence and participation and the more we fade to our real, tangible lives.

This continued participation, though, is creating a situation in which we gradually live more disembodied lives. We are continually being presented with the option to unwind, not with friends and family, but with our phones; to offload all work, even the most cherished work—such as art and storytelling, to AI; these things that since time immemorial have been the human response to our glorious and gruesome existence; the things that are an expression of and testament to the human spirit. The concern intensifies as we face the reality that many teenagers are no longer dating or hanging out with peers in person, but finding solace in AI chat bots; that girls cannot bear to look at their own faces in the camera without first applying a filter; that brands and design teams are foregoing real artists for AI-generated images; that employers are replacing cashiers and receptionists with computer screens. We are losing the vital relationships that bind us together in brotherly love, that remind us of our humanity, frailty, and our need for community and connection. The startling reality is that we seem all too ready to sacrifice these things on the altar of comfort, convenience, and the promise of “more time.” Yet one has to wonder what this extra time will be used for when our human connections are anemic, our beloved pastimes are really past, and we prefer the lifeless blue light of a screen to the ordinary, yet remarkable light of day. This is the gollumization of our society. Life as we have known it is fading and will soon disappear if we allow AI to replace meaningful human work and interaction.

A final, and likely more controversial similarity between the Ring and Artificial Intelligence lies in their genesis. In the film we are told that “into this Ring [Sauron] poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life.” I said before that AI was not invented by a Dark Lord as the Ring was, and its creation was not centered around malice and cruelty. But domination? This is a stark parallel because the growing prevalence and use of AI will lead to its dominating presence in all spheres of life, just as all other technical advancements have showcased: the printing press, the factory, the steam engine, the radio, and the Television. Remember Postman: “one change begets total change.” The difference with AI is that it fundamentally takes over the mental tasks that made these past inventions possible. Isaac Newton, humbly and truthfully said, “If I have seen further than other men, it is by standing on the shoulder’s of giants.” His genius was predicated on a deep knowledge and understanding of the minds that came before him; without them, the discoveries he made would not have been possible.

And there is domination in another sense in that it unavoidably leads to the centralization of power and information in the hands of those who control it. It is not a question of if this technology will be used for ill, but of when. The malice and cruelty it makes possible far outweigh the good it could do. And it is supremely hard to mitigate this level of power. We already know of its use in certain foreign countries to monitor and modify human behavior. Governments who would not want to use it in this way are ultimately forced to do so in order to have the means to check this level of power. This is the same pattern that still takes place concerning nuclear weapons: few would ever use them, but still they are built to check the powers that would. The global advancement of AI will force the hands of many to develop systems they initially conceived of as unjust, undemocratic, and tyrannical. Those who conceive of humanity as being inherently good will find these remarks to be pessimistic and overdramatic. This again veers into the theological rather than the scientific and political. All of human history shows us that there is something deeply wrong with us; that we each possess the seeds of malice and cruelty. AI was made by fallen men to be used by fallen men and it circumvents the natural constraints we have had in the past. We tend to view constraints as negatives, but they are also what refine and strengthen us, just as muscles are strengthened by resistance. Haven’t all the stories of our youth taught us this? It is not good for man to have whatever he likes, whenever he likes, especially when it is unearned and gotten through illegitimate means.

So what are we to do? It is true that AI is here and it is not going away. When I consider the trajectory we are on, I am sometimes more than a little despondent; it seems like a fool’s errand to resist. And yet, when I consider the hugeness and near-impossibility of the task of opposing the totalizing nature of AI, it is the story of Frodo and the Fellowship that marches to the forefront of my mind. The Fellowship was also on a fool’s errand, doing a job that couldn’t be done, but doing it all the same because it was right. Tolkien paints a picture of courage rather than compromise, even when the outcome is certain failure. Frodo’s meek, yet powerful statement of “I will take the ring…though I do not know the way,” is one that I also want to make concerning the new environment in which we find ourselves. I do not know the way, only that a way should be sought. I do not want to compromise with totalitarian forces that demean and degrade what it means to be a human, working with human hands, alongside other humans. I want to encourage others to consider doing the same because your life, your gifts, and your work are too valuable and dignifying to trade for wealth, convenience, and comfort. All this is what AI offers us. We can be thankful for those things in their rightful place and in prudent amounts, but we must not make them our gods. Van Riessen reminds us, “Labor is not a necessary evil, it is not an economic value, not a prelude to leisure time, or a bread winning, but in the deepest sense it is the fulfillment of the cultural mandate of the Creator.”

The technologicalization and automation of the workforce by AI only plays into the illegitimate idea that life would improve if our work could be given to machines. The belief that this type of totalizing automation will lead to more liberty, creativity, and true flourishing is misguided. It is only true if the highest goods are those that were mentioned before: money and ease. The Ring could not be used for the liberation of Middle Earth, only its subjugation. The nature of AI leads to the same end, not because it was invented by a Dark Lord with the express purpose of subjugation, but because it naturally results in devaluing of human labor which leads to dehumanization itself. There are some who would argue that we are becoming something more than human, but if a fish were made to leave the water and walk on land, it wouldn’t be more than a fish, it would cease to be one. A human severed from nature, his work, and his fellow man ceases to be human. Given how deeply AI has already taken root, there are many who will argue that asking them to resist it is both impossible and foolish: “I have my family to think about and one has to make money!” This is true and I think Elrond’s closing remarks to Frodo answer it perfectly: “It is a heavy burden. So heavy that none could lay it on another. I do not lay it on you. But if you take it freely, I will say that your choice is right.”