Closing Remarks of H.E. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, and other International Organizations in Geneva, at the event
Human-Centered AI for Agrifood Systems: From Ethics to Implementation
Co-organized by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Geneva, 5 October 2026
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
At the outset, my Delegation would like to thank all the participants for sharing their reflections and for presenting the initiatives undertaken at the national level to harness Artificial Intelligence in the fight against hunger.
As Pope Leo XIV recalled at the presentation of his Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, the Catholic Church does not claim to possess technical solutions to the numerous questions raised by Artificial Intelligence; such responses must come from those with the necessary expertise.[1] What the Catholic Church can and does offer is “a wisdom concerning the human [person] that our present time desperately needs” [2] – a compass, as it were, for navigating the moral and technological complexities before us. The “true north” to which this compass points is the protection and promotion of the inherent, God-given dignity of every human person, in every sphere of life.
Today we have heard encouraging stories of how digital technologies can serve the common good and foster integral development, offering new tools to strengthen the resilience, sustainability, and productivity of agrifood systems. Such possibilities deserve to be welcomed and developed.
Yet, in this noble endeavour, the human person, in all his or her grandeur and fragility, must remain at the center. Placing the human person at the core of policy discussions on Artificial Intelligence is not an impediment to innovation. On the contrary, it is what allows innovation to remain genuinely at the service of humanity and to pursue purposes worthy of the human person.
If a farmer is reduced merely to a data point, or a rural community considered simply as a dataset, then we must ask whether progress is truly achieved. Technology must serve the human person, never the other way around. In this sense, it is worth recalling Pope Leo XIV’s concern regarding a technocratic paradigm that would reduce the human person to something to be measured, optimized and, ultimately, treated according to criteria of efficiency without consideration for human dignity.[3]
My Delegation expresses appreciation to the FAO, the States that cohosted this event and all participants, and it invites everyone to work tirelessly so that human-centered AI in agrifood systems truly moves from ethics to implementation in the service of the human person and the common good. The ultimate test of “intelligent technology” is not how far its power extends but how faithfully it serves the human person and the common good. Its finest achievement will be when the fruits of progress reach every household and community, and when no one goes to bed hungry.
Thank you.