Why Wisdom Matters More Than Technology
Feb 06, 2026Much of today’s future talk centers on technology—artificial intelligence, automation, and rapid innovation. Tom Lombardo doesn’t dismiss these conversations, but he reframes them.
The real challenge, he argues, is not technological capacity.
It is wisdom capacity.
Technology amplifies human intention. Without wisdom, that amplification magnifies harm as easily as benefit. Tools grow more powerful, but ethical development often lags behind.
Tom emphasizes that wisdom involves more than intelligence. It includes emotional regulation, ethical reasoning, empathy, and long-term thinking. These qualities are harder to cultivate than technical skill—and therefore easier to neglect.
This imbalance creates risk. We rush to adopt new tools while underinvesting in the human capacities required to use them responsibly. We focus on efficiency without asking what kind of future that efficiency serves.
For leaders, this insight is sobering. Strategy cannot be reduced to optimization. Decisions must consider unintended consequences, human impact, and moral tradeoffs. Wisdom requires slowing down enough to ask better questions.
For educators, the implications are profound. Preparing learners for the future cannot mean training them only to use tools. It must include helping them develop judgment, agency, and ethical awareness. Otherwise, education becomes vocational training divorced from responsibility.
Tom’s perspective doesn’t oppose technology—it contextualizes it. Innovation guided by wisdom can be transformative. Innovation without it becomes dangerous.
The future will not be shaped by tools alone.
It will be shaped by the character of those who wield them.
Reflection Question:
Where might greater wisdom—not more technology—be the missing ingredient in your work or organization?
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