Scientific Colloquium
The Future of Catholic Universities in the AI age

13-14 July 2023, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

The 2023 Scientific Colloquium aimed to provide a platform to reflect on the role of SACRU Universities in addressing the challenges in the AI age and to engage a high number of members of the SACRU academic communities, including the younger generation of researchers. It was opened on the morning of Thursday, July 13, by Prof. Franco Anelli, Rector of Università Cattolica, followed by a keynote lecture by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and an introduction by Prof. Zlatko Skrbis, the President of SACRU.

The multidisciplinary initiative involved different disciplines in the discussion on the impact of AI on universities. The Colloquium was organized in plenary sessions, which included a keynote speaker from each SACRU University, and two parallel sessions (AI, Education & Research; AI, Universities within Society) in which the issues presented by the plenary speakers were further addressed.

The outcome of these two valuable days of discussion will be a position paper to be published by the end of the year, which will formalize the Universities’ positions and proposals on the central tasks of universities, i.e. teaching, research and service to society, and how to adapt them to the age of Artificial Intelligence.