By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Veritas University, Abuja, has become the first university in Africa to sign the Humanitas AI Compact, marking a landmark commitment to the ethical governance and responsible deployment of Artificial Intelligence, AI,in response to Pope Leo XIV’s call for institutions of higher learning to place human dignity at the centre of technological advancement.

The historic signing ceremony, held on Thursday during the university’s 154th Senate session, positioned the Catholic institution at the forefront of Africa’s emerging conversation on ethical AI and responsible innovation.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Rev. Fr. Prof. Hyacinth Ichoku, signed the Compact on behalf of Veritas University, while representatives of partner organisations,including the Institute for African American Studies, Abuja; Commonwealth Forum, London; Centre for AI, Digital Justice and Economic Rights,CADER; and the African Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa,also endorsed the initiative.

Speaking shortly before the signing, Prof. Ichoku described the move as Veritas University’s “institutional response” to Magnifica Humanitas, the papal declaration in which Pope Leo XIV urged universities and other institutions to assume responsibility in shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence.

“The Humanitas AI Compact exists because of Magnifica Humanitas. In Magnifica Humanitas, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, called on universities and institutions of learning by name to take up their responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence.

This Compact is our institutional response to that call, beginning from Africa and extending to all institutions entrusted with the formation, protection, education, healing, governance and advancement of the human person,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor stressed that the Pope’s message was founded on a simple but profound principle,that Artificial Intelligence must always serve humanity, particularly the poor, the sick, migrants, victims of war, women, girls and other vulnerable groups exposed to exclusion, poverty, conflict and manipulation.

According to him, the Catholic Church expects institutions not merely to admire papal teachings but to translate them into concrete action.

“An encyclical is never only a document to be admired. It is a call to be received, embodied, organised and carried into the world,” he said, urging African educational institutions to give practical expression to the ideals contained in Magnifica Humanitas.

The Humanitas AI Compact is anchored on seven guiding principles, including Human Dignity, Subsidiarity, the Common Good, the Universal Destination of Goods, Truth and the Integral Person.

It also outlines seven institutional commitments, including reviewing educational programmes to prepare students for the AI era, promoting digital literacy, prioritising vulnerable populations in AI-related work, advancing justice and peace, strengthening collaboration among educational and community institutions, contributing to AI policy and ethical governance, and ensuring that the benefits of the digital age are shared equitably rather than concentrated in the hands of a privileged few.

The Compact rejects the notion that Artificial Intelligence possesses genuine human creativity or moral discernment and cautions against allowing predictive algorithms to make critical decisions affecting human lives without ethical oversight.

Instead, it advocates an AI ecosystem rooted in human dignity, social justice and the protection of vulnerable populations.

Organisers said the next phase of the Humanitas AI Compact, scheduled for the second month following the release of Magnifica Humanitas, will broaden participation to educational, healthcare, public and civil society institutions across Africa and beyond, with the aim of building a global coalition committed to ethical and human-centred Artificial Intelligence.