UNIPA News Desk || 09 July-An international conference held in Kyiv on July 2 examined the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in addressing Ukraine’s humanitarian challenges, while emphasizing that technological innovation must remain guided by ethics, accountability, and respect for human dignity.
The event, titled “The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Context of the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine: Risks and Opportunities,” was organized by the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Ukraine in cooperation with UNESCO Antenna in Ukraine and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve. It brought together Ukrainian government officials, representatives of United Nations agencies, UNESCO, the European Union, humanitarian organizations, and members of the Catholic clergy.
Opening the conference, Ambassador Antonio Gazzanti Pugliese di Cotrone highlighted the potential of AI to strengthen humanitarian operations while underscoring the need for responsible governance. He said AI could improve damage assessment, humanitarian demining, healthcare delivery, mental health services, logistics, strategic communications, and the preservation of Ukraine’s cultural heritage. He also noted that AI could play a significant role in the country’s future reconstruction by supporting infrastructure recovery, education, and long-term development.
The ambassador stressed, however, that AI should never be viewed as a neutral technology. He said its outcomes are shaped by the data, values, and objectives of those who develop and deploy it, making ethical responsibility essential in every stage of its use. According to him, innovation must be accompanied by safeguards for privacy, human dignity, and fundamental rights.
Addressing concerns about the rapid deployment of emerging technologies during wartime, the ambassador warned against using Ukraine as a testing ground for unregulated experimentation. He said the suffering and resilience of the Ukrainian people must remain the primary consideration and that AI should serve only to reduce human suffering and assist recovery efforts.
The ethical implications of AI were further discussed by Don Fulvio Berti, who presented the Catholic Church’s perspective based on the teachings of Pope Leo XIV. He said the central challenge is not the technology itself but how humanity chooses to use it. While acknowledging AI’s potential to improve healthcare, education, and humanitarian assistance, he warned that technological capability should not be mistaken for wisdom and emphasized that human judgment, responsibility, and cooperation must remain central to AI development.
Panel discussions during the conference also focused on legal regulation, humanitarian coordination, psychological recovery, education, strategic communications, and the practical application of AI technologies in conflict-affected areas.
Participants broadly agreed that artificial intelligence offers significant opportunities to strengthen humanitarian responses in Ukraine. However, they concluded that its deployment must remain subject to ethical standards, transparency, accountability, and the protection of human rights to ensure technology serves people rather than replacing human responsibility.
