Global Nobel Laureates Assembly opens in Castel Gandolfo, bringing leaders and experts together to address AI governance and nuclear risks.
Newsroom (15/07/2026 Gaudium Press ) More than 200 Nobel Prize laureates, former heads of state, academic leaders, and international experts convened on July 14 in the papal gardens of Castel Gandolfo for the opening of the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, a three-day gathering dedicated to confronting two of the most consequential challenges facing humanity.
Held amid the pine trees and olive groves surrounding Borgo Laudato Si’, the assembly seeks to foster dialogue on the growing risks associated with artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and rapidly evolving autonomous technologies. The event will continue through July 16 and conclude in Rome with the signing of the Rome Declaration on an Unarmed and Disarming Peace, a document intended to establish guiding principles for the governance of AI and emerging military and digital technologies.
The initiative draws inspiration from Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, published in May, which emphasizes the protection of human dignity in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Addressing a World at a Crossroads
The opening day was marked by reflections on a rapidly changing global landscape characterized by geopolitical instability, technological competition, and uncertainty about humanity’s ability to manage increasingly powerful innovations.
In his introductory remarks, Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and General Director of the Center for Higher Education at Borgo Laudato Si’, stressed the urgency of international cooperation.
“We gather at a moment in history marked by increasingly profound geopolitical tensions, the fragmentation of the international order, and intensifying technological competition,” he said.
Baggio warned that the accelerated development of artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies is unfolding at a pace that often outstrips society’s capacity for ethical reflection and oversight. He argued that the world urgently requires shared principles capable of directing technological progress toward genuinely human goals.
The call for collective responsibility was echoed by Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, President of the Domus Communis Foundation. Rather than focusing solely on risks, Tomasi emphasized the assembly’s role in renewing confidence in humanity’s ability to shape its future through dialogue.
“This Assembly is not gathered simply to analyse risks,” he said. “It is gathered to renew hope, to demonstrate that dialogue remains possible, that wisdom can still accompany knowledge, that humanity has not lost the capacity to govern its own future.”
Tomasi concluded with a message aimed at future generations, expressing hope that today’s leaders would choose cooperation over confrontation and dialogue over fear.
Artificial Intelligence Takes Center Stage
The assembly’s opening session, titled “Magnifica Humanitas for the Future of Our Common Home,” explored the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence through the lens of Pope Leo XIV’s teachings.
The session opened with an address by Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, who provided an overview of the encyclical and its vision for human-centered technological development.
Among the most prominent contributors was Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Colombia. Santos welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s appeal to “disarm AI,” arguing that a similar spirit of cooperation is necessary to confront the existential threats facing humanity.
He warned that without effective global governance mechanisms, AI risks evolving beyond society’s ability to ensure it serves the common good.
“Without effective governance, it will be difficult, impossible, to ensure that AI becomes a force for good guided by human dignity, responsibility, accountability and rule of law,” Santos said.
His remarks reflected one of the assembly’s central concerns: how to balance innovation with ethical safeguards in a world where advanced AI systems are becoming increasingly influential across politics, economics, security, and daily life.
A New Civilization in the Making
Another notable intervention came from Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Emeritus Chief Adviser of Bangladesh. Yunus described the current historical moment as a transition between civilizations, arguing that humanity stands at the threshold of profound transformation.
He emphasized the importance of involving younger generations in shaping the future, suggesting that decisions made today regarding technology and development will define the contours of the next era of human society.
His comments reinforced a recurring theme of the gathering: the recognition that technological change is not merely a technical issue but a civilizational one that requires broad participation and long-term thinking.
Diverse Voices Engage with Ethical and Security Challenges
The opening session brought together a wide range of international voices from fields including human rights, science, peacebuilding, technology, and nuclear disarmament.
Participants included:
- Dr. Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International
- Dr. Amir Banifatemi, Founder and Board Member of the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI
- Professor James Muller, Co-founder of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
- Professor Karen Hallberg, Secretary General of the Pugwash Conferences
- Professor David Gross, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and Chancellor’s Chair Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara
Their presence underscored the interdisciplinary nature of the assembly, which seeks to bridge scientific expertise, ethical reflection, public policy, and international diplomacy.
Exploring the Risks of Autonomous Technologies
Following the opening session, discussions throughout the day examined a range of pressing issues, including scenarios in which artificial intelligence could escape meaningful human control.
Panels addressed topics such as the fragility of humanity in the nuclear age, the potential for technology to serve human flourishing, and the moral challenges posed by AI-driven warfare and autonomous weapons systems.
Among those contributing to the debate was Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and co-founder and chief executive of Rappler. Researchers from organizations including the Anthropic Institute and DeepMind also participated, bringing technical perspectives to conversations often dominated by ethical and policy concerns.
Their contributions highlighted the growing consensus that the future of AI cannot be left solely to technological development but must be accompanied by robust governance frameworks and international cooperation.
Toward the Rome Declaration
The assembly’s ultimate goal is the adoption of the Rome Declaration on an Unarmed and Disarming Peace, which seeks to establish principles for the governance of artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, nuclear risks, digital protocols, and emerging models of technological development.
Grounded in the values of cooperation, human dignity, integral development, and peace, the declaration is expected to serve as a call for global action at a time when humanity possesses unprecedented technological power.
As discussions continue in Castel Gandolfo before concluding at Rome’s Capitoline Hill, participants are attempting to answer one of the defining questions of the twenty-first century: whether humanity can govern its most powerful technologies before those technologies begin to govern humanity.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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