Are low-tech communities a growth industry?
October 30, 2025
By Matthew Pietz
This article was written and edited without the use of AI.
You aren’t the only one with concerns about AI. At Keranaut, we predict that over the next decade people will start to act on their misgivings in concrete ways, and perhaps, for a minority, that will include the very consequential decision of where to live. Luddite living, if you will.
The original Luddites were textile workers in 19th-century England, who smashed knitting frames and steam-powered looms because they threatened human jobs and created inferior products. Less well-known is that they were also a social justice movement which fought for a minimum wage and an end to child labor. Luddites felt the lion’s share of wealth from new tech were accruing to owners and elites. So they were wrong about automated looms being bad for the economy, but right about everything else. Modern Luddites, meanwhile, have a broader scope of worry: the potential for unrestrained tech advances to warp the very essence of what it means to be human.
At Keranaut we expect that, like many disparaging terms before it, “Luddite” will be reclaimed and worn by some as a badge of honor. (Wondering what to get that contrarian friend for Christmas 2027? How about a “Luddite & Loving It” t-shirt?)
As we’ve discussed before, AI anxiety is already palpable, and it is likely to spread in the coming decade, especially as more people feel the impact of job loss and see more AI created content around them. For those deeply concerned about AI’s effect not just on employment, but also mental health, the environment, human rights, and our children’s cognitive development, a decision to live without it—a rejection of the narrative of “inevitability”—might seem quite reasonable.
Those same people might feel uneasy about other technologies, like implants to enhance human strength, perception or intelligence, or large numbers of autonomous robots in homes and neighborhoods. These technologies exist in prototype form, and although their rollout will be much slower than that of AI (whose delivery method was already sitting in our pockets), they will grow in feasibility and in the popular imagination during the coming ten years. Over time, this could lead to enough people being sufficiently concerned to seek out Luddite living spaces.
Source: Antarctica Journal. https://www.antarcticajournal.com/cartoon-luddite/
Living among like-minded people won’t address the root of the above concerns, but it may become attractive as a tangible and personally impactful way to act locally while thinking globally.
So, what might a low-tech community look like? They may range from apocalyptic bunker warrens to luxury skyrises with hippie ethics, but they might also be rather bland neighborhoods with a handful of guidelines, the way retirement communities have an age minimum and noise policy. As a thought experiment, here’s one possibility:
A developer builds a subdivision, perhaps with 15-20 homes or so until there is proof of concept. They call it “Prairie View” to evoke nature and a simpler time.
Prices are above average for the area, both for the privilege of living in an intentional community, and to cover the costs of homes built by humans instead of robots or 3D printers (already happening).
The community is anchored by values suggested by the developer and then modified and agreed upon by the Homeowners Association, once 51% of units are sold. Prairie View’s HOA chooses Human Connection, Mental Wellbeing, and Physical Safety.
They then make tech usage rules to match those values. Prairie View agrees not to use any tech invented after 1995, though updated versions of tech that existed then are okay. So people can have their cell phones and internet to remain part of the economy. Things not allowed include social media, AI, tech implants, and robots.
The rules only apply inside the neighborhood. What residents do outside Prairie View is their business.
There is no system of tracking compliance, and few consequences for breaking the rules. The community doesn’t want to focus on that, believing that people who pay extra to live in this way can be trusted to do so. In extreme cases the HOA may vote to fine or evict a resident, but this is very rare.
Exceptions can also be made in reasonable cases—for people who need a new medical device in their home, or for new inventions that are non-threatening and don’t contradict the core values.
Having a group of like-minded people who focus on human connection means that neighbors know each other and hold lots of social events. Kids play together in the street.
There’s a perception among thieves that Luddites have less home security, so it is necessary to build a wall around the community.
Some of the kids feel like outsiders at school, because their friends have better tech and talk about things Prairie View kids don’t understand.
The development is built in a northern latitude in a spot safe from flooding with access to groundwater. After all, these are people who think about the future.
As technology advances, many people will want to take full advantage of the time savings and potential wealth creation it can offer to those with access. Some, though, may decide to act on their nostalgia for a simpler time.
Even for people who choose not to take this drastic step, the communities may be a nice place to visit. Friendly suggestion to developers: Don’t forget the charging station for people to leave their robots while they go inside.
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