Rome — May 25, 2026 — At a Vatican‑hosted high‑level symposium, FAO Director‑General QU Dongyu urged that Artificial Intelligence (AI) be guided by human dignity, inclusion, and solidarity, stressing that rapid technological change must be matched by social adaptation.
Speaking at “AI and the Future of Human Dignity: A Bridge Across the Demographic and Employment Transitions”, QU emphasized that AI’s transformative power should serve rural communities, warning that the digital divide will widen if technology is not directed toward farmers, fishers, pastoralists, and forest‑dependent populations.
The event coincided with the release of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which explores the ethical and social implications of AI. QU drew parallels between today’s AI revolution and the Industrial Revolution addressed by Pope Leo XIII in Rerum Novarum 135 years ago, noting that AI is reshaping economies, governance, and agrifood systems.
FAO has long championed ethical AI, being among the first signatories of the Rome Call for AI Ethics in 2020. QU highlighted FAO’s Digital Agriculture and AI Innovation Roadmap, which applies AI to coffee value chains, farmer advisory services, horticulture, and soil management. These initiatives align with FAO’s Four Betters framework: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.
Introducing the concept of “Allied Intelligences”, QU described the alignment of human, artificial, ecological, and social intelligence to harmonize ethics, technology, and collective action. He cautioned that AI should amplify human capability, not replace it, and must facilitate knowledge sharing between farmers and consumers.
Concluding his remarks, QU stated: “We cannot eat AI — tools cannot replace humans. Let us walk this bridge together, from fear to fortune, from superiority to solidarity, so that all of humanity can benefit from AI for a better future for all.”
