The Vatican reaffirms at the UN that artificial intelligence must serve the common good

The Holy See has once again defended at the United Nations that the development of artificial intelligence must be subordinated to the dignity of the human person and the common good. According to Vatican News, the position was presented on July 13 during a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) dedicated to monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

The intervention comes just days after the Vatican presented the encyclical Magnifica humanitas at the international summit AI for Good Global Summit 2026, held in Geneva, where the document was presented as the Holy See’s main contribution to the international debate on artificial intelligence.

The person, the criterion for evaluating progress

In the statement presented before the UN, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See affirmed that «the true measure of progress will not lie in the degree of sophistication of emerging technologies, but in whether or not they serve the human person and the common good».

The delegation noted that artificial intelligence can accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, but warned that a technology that compromises human dignity cannot be considered genuine progress, even if it is more efficient, profitable, or innovative.

Development must benefit everyone

The Vatican representation recalled that the goal of development is the integral liberation of peoples from hunger, disease, illiteracy, and other forms of deprivation. To this end, it advocated for more equitable participation in global economic processes, the strengthening of solidarity-based societies, and the promotion of institutions capable of guaranteeing freedom and peace.

At the same time, it acknowledged that economic growth in recent decades has enabled billions of people to escape extreme poverty, although it warned that this progress continues to be accompanied by “serious dysfunctions,” such as the increase in inequalities between and within countries, as well as the emergence of new forms of poverty.

The common good as the measure of development

In the final part of its intervention, the Holy See urged the international community to address these inequalities and reiterated that the criterion for evaluating any development model must remain the common good. It also emphasized that respect for the inviolable dignity of every person is an indispensable condition for fulfilling the commitments of the 2030 Agenda and advancing toward truly sustainable development.