A delegation from the World Association of Noonomy (WAN), at the invitation of the United Nations University for Peace (UPEACE), took part in the AI4Peace 2026 international forum, held from 20 to 22 September at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. The event was organised by the Rome branch of the UN University for Peace, the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Pontifical Lateran University.
The forum brought together leading scholars and representatives of civil society organisations, UN bodies, religious institutions, government authorities and the expert community from around the world to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on international security, global development and the strengthening of peace.
Participants paid particular attention to identifying mechanisms that would allow the potential of new technologies to be harnessed to prevent conflict, foster international cooperation and shape a fairer world order.
In his address to the forum, Pope Leo XIV called for the creation of artificial intelligence systems that promote dialogue, mutual understanding and solidarity between peoples. The Pontiff emphasised that the development of AI must be grounded in wisdom and compassion, rather than deepen the divisions within society.
On 21 September, the plenary session of AI4Peace 2026 heard presentations from Sergey Bodrunov, President of the World Association of Noonomy and President of the Free Economic Society of Russia; Alfonso V. Amarante, President of the Pontifical Lateran University; Francisco Rojas Aravena, President of the United Nations University for Peace; Renzo Pegoraro, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life; Katerina Kabakhidze, Head of International Relations at the S.Yu. Witte Institute of Noonomy and New Industrial Development (INID); Svetlana Bodrunova, Head of the Centre for International Media Research at St Petersburg State University and member of the Board of the Free Economic Society of Russia; Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and others.
AI4Peace 2026 also featured a session on “Noonomy: a new global system based on contemporary technological and socio-economic transformations”. It was moderated by Sergey Bodrunov, President of the World Association of Noonomy (WAN).
During the discussion, prominent Russian and international economists, sociologists and philosophers considered the use of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to improve people’s quality of life, reduce inequality between and within countries, strengthen peace and lower the level of conflict.
Presentations at the session were given by Alexander Nekipelov, Director of the Moscow School of Economics at Lomonosov Moscow State University and Vice-President of the Free Economic Society of Russia; Alexander Shirov, Director of the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences and member of the Presidium of the Free Economic Society of Russia; Alan Freeman, Co-Director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group at the University of Manitoba; Ousavanh Thiengthepvongsa, Director General of the Socio-Economic Policy Research Institute (SPRI) of the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences (LASES); Svetlana Bodrunova, Head of the Centre for International Media Research at St Petersburg State University and member of the Board of the Free Economic Society of Russia; Natalia Yakovleva, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Al (Albert) Campbell, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Utah; Faustino Gómez, Researcher at the Centre for World Economy Studies (CIEM); Giuseppe Lo Brutto, Director of the “Alfonso Vélez Pliego” Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Autonomous University of Puebla; Estefanía Ciro Rodríguez, Doctor of Political and Social Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico; Stavros Mavroudeas, Professor of Political Economy at the Department of Social Policy of Panteion University; Christos Papatheodorou, Professor at the Department of Social Policy of Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences; Phouphet Kyophilavong, Professor and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Management at the National University of Laos; Keysone Chansina, member of the Standing Committee of the Science Council and Director General of the Office of the National Academy of Politics and Public Administration of the Lao PDR; and Nikolai Dmitriev, Deputy Director for Scientific and Methodological Work at the S.Yu. Witte Institute of Noonomy and New Industrial Development.
Participants in the session analysed how artificial intelligence and automation are changing the place of the human being in production and management processes. They examined the adaptation of education systems to the widespread use of AI, the ethical regulation of AI, the influence of digital innovation on economic development, the level of socio-economic and technological inequality between countries, the shifting global balance of power and the processes of deglobalisation, and discussed mechanisms capable of directing the development of artificial intelligence towards the common good.
The participants considered approaches proposed by the theory of noonomy that could reduce the socio-economic risks associated with growing digital inequality and the unchecked development of technology, and expressed confidence that the ideas of noonomy can help to find answers to the key socio-economic challenges of the twenty-first century.
On the closing day of the forum, an agreement was signed between the Holy See (Vatican) and the UN University for Peace on the establishment of the AI4Peace International Association. The new body is intended to serve as a platform for engagement between representatives of academia, diplomacy, economics, philosophy and religious organisations, with the aim of drawing up recommendations for the humanisation of technological development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.