Vatican leads AI and human dignity talks in New York during UN General Assembly

A delegation led by the Vatican is in New York for talks with world leaders on artificial intelligence, human dignity and the common good, held alongside the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The gathering, called the Diálogos del Borgo (Borgo Dialogues), runs from September 20 to 23, 2026, and is organized by the Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education, a Holy See institution. The question running through every session is: "What are we building, for whom, and who will inherit it?"

The sessions are open by invitation only and bring together people from business, finance, academia, faith communities, health care, sport, civil society and international institutions. Cardinal Fabio Baggio, director general of the Laudato Si' Center and founder of the Diálogos del Borgo, described the meetings as an invitation to courageous leadership based on listening, encounter and shared responsibility. "At a time when many institutions face growing fragmentation and mistrust, we need spaces where leaders can address difficult questions honestly, build trust across differences and commit to actions that uphold human dignity and promote the common good," Baggio said.

The Diálogos del Borgo draw on Pope Francis's encyclicals Laudato Si' and Fratelli tutti, and on Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. The discussions cover the way artificial intelligence is changing work, human dignity in health care, sustainable development and systemic change across industries. The aim is a shared commitment to designing technologies and institutions that recognize the inherent dignity of every person, with particular attention to the most vulnerable.

Father Daniel G. Groody, a member of the Laudato Si' Center's general council, said "the world's most urgent challenges require relationships that go beyond institutions and ideologies." He said the Diálogos del Borgo create a setting where intellectual rigor, moral purpose and practical leadership come together, so that participants turn reflection into responsibility and ideas into action. The first edition took place in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo from June 17 to 19, with more than 80 people attending.

Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, also spoke at a conference held at the Vatican. She criticized executives in the AI industry who, she said, "want to play God" by making decisions that affect millions of workers without their consent. Shuler said artificial intelligence is one of the biggest challenges facing the labor movement because of the threat of mass unemployment it could trigger, and she called for workers to take an active part in discussions about its impact.

Shuler praised the attention Leo XIV gives to labor issues in Magnifica Humanitas, which takes up the legitimate fear of a sharp drop in employment and the need for political, business and union leaders to work together on appropriate regulations and protections. She said the Catholic Church has a unique ability to bring people together and can affirm that human beings must be at the center of the AI revolution.

The AFL-CIO has signed agreements with companies including Microsoft to advance ethical standards for the development and use of artificial intelligence, presenting them as an alternative to a debate driven by economic and geopolitical competition. The Laudato Si' Center plans to take the proposals coming out of the Diálogos del Borgo to the World Economic Forum.