The Lima International Book Fair (FIL), one of the country’s leading cultural and civic meeting spaces, hosted the Ethical Horizons of AI series, a forum for dialogue that brought one of the most relevant conversations of our time closer to the public: how to guide the development of human-centred artificial intelligence.
The initiative was framed by the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, adopted by UNESCO’s 193 Member States in 2021. This instrument constitutes the first global normative framework to guide the responsible development and use of these technologies through an approach based on human rights, human dignity, inclusion, cultural diversity, transparency and sustainable development. The series also built on the commitments set out in the Roadmap for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Latin America and the Caribbean 2026–2027, adopted during the Third Ministerial Summit on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which promotes a regional agenda to strengthen capacities, foster cooperation and consolidate the ethical governance of artificial intelligence.
The series also built on the work that UNESCO has been carrying out with the Peruvian Government to strengthen artificial intelligence governance. In 2025, both institutions presented the report Peru: Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment. The document examines five dimensions—legal and regulatory, social and cultural, economic, scientific, and technical—and identifies strengths and recommendations for advancing the ethical, responsible and inclusive development and use of these technologies.
“Artificial intelligence represents an opportunity to accelerate human development and expand human capabilities. The challenge is to ensure that this potential translates into tangible benefits for our societies through public policies, cooperation and governance based on human rights and the common good,” said Guiomar Alonso, UNESCO Representative in Peru.
Artificial intelligence and human development
The first session of the series, Ethical Horizons of AI (I): Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Human Development, featured Dr Francisco Sagasti, an engineer, researcher, former President of the Republic of Peru and Director of the UNESCO Chair on Knowledge and Innovation for Social Transformations at Universidad del Pacífico.
The discussion explored the potential of artificial intelligence to expand human capabilities, strengthen knowledge creation and promote innovative solutions to challenges in areas such as education, health, scientific research, productivity and climate change. It also highlighted the role of universities, international cooperation and interdisciplinary research in ensuring that Latin America not only adopts these technologies, but also contributes to their development and to the formulation of evidence-based public policies.
In this context, the work being carried out by the UNESCO Chair on Knowledge and Innovation for Social Transformations was presented. This initiative seeks to strengthen research, innovation and knowledge creation with an impact on public policies and social transformations.
“Regional cooperation will be key to the development of artificial intelligence. The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean need to move forward together along this path,” said Dr Francisco Sagasti.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-peru-promotes-dialogue-ethical-horizons-artificial-intelligence-fil-lima-2026?hub=701
