Artificial intelligence could help farmers make better decisions, but who gets to shape those systems? That question guided a Geneva dialogue organised by FAO and the Holy See on October fifth. Participants considered how AI might improve productivity, resilience and sustainability across food systems. They also examined the risk that technology could widen existing inequalities. Farmers, women, young people and rural communities are often underrepresented in discussions about digital tools. Their practical knowledge can reveal needs that a technically impressive system might otherwise miss.
The discussion emphasised human accountability and oversight from the design stage, rather than treating them as later additions. Shared data and public digital resources could broaden access, provided communities can actually use them. People without reliable connectivity should not disappear from the conversation. FAO also demonstrated knowledge tools that use AI. The event was a policy dialogue, not the adoption of binding rules. Its central message was that agricultural innovation should be judged by whom it serves, not simply by what technology can do.