The recent experience in Rabat serves as a significant catalyst for reflection: why does Latin America, particularly Chile, lack a similar institution? In a context marked by the diminishing efficacy of the multilateral system, the necessity for a regional space dedicated to strategic thought becomes increasingly apparent.
Last April, I had the privilege of attending the 51st session of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat. During this session, members and international experts delved into a captivating subject: the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and the quest for a shared epistemology between humans and algorithms. This very topic was subsequently addressed by Pope Leo XIV in his recent encyclical, Magnificent Humanitas, just a month later.
The gathering featured a diverse array of participants, including mathematicians, physicists, philosophers, politicians, and specialists from countries such as Switzerland, Senegal, Italy, France, Mauritania, Uganda, the United States, Portugal, Korea, Japan, Peru, and Chile. Discussions revolved around the contributions, challenges, and dangers posed by AI, the absence of harmonized global regulations, competition for essential resources like water, and the ethical dilemmas that this technology presents.
Established in 1977, the Academy has emerged as a prestigious international institution. Based in Rabat, it began its journey as a center for scientific and cultural thought for Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Arab world, and has since expanded its activities to encompass countries in Asia and Latin America.
As a cultural diplomatic entity, the Academy fosters dialogue among cultures and civilizations, bridging scientific research with humanistic, religious, or secular ethos. Today, it plays a crucial role in cultural diplomacy—a form of soft power—that extends Morocco's influence beyond its borders.
The institution comprises 30 Moroccan members and an additional 30 from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Notable figures in its history include Léopold Sédar Senghor, Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, Maurice Druon, Edgar Faure, Henry Kissinger, and Neil Armstrong. The current membership includes prominent individuals such as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Romano Prodi, Pascal Lamy, alongside distinguished scientists and intellectuals from various fields, including three from our region.
This experience in Rabat prompts an urgent inquiry: why does Latin America, especially Chile, not possess a similar institution? The current climate—characterized by the decline of the multilateral system, ineffective peaceful dispute resolution, and shifts in global politics—underscores the critical need for a regional strategic think tank. Comprising scientists, economists, philosophers, theologians, writers, and politicians, such a space would facilitate the imagining and proposing of solutions to pressing challenges: job losses due to automation, the corrupting influence of drug trafficking, organized crime, cybersecurity issues, and democratic governance. This would be conducted from a long-term perspective, politically transversal, free from the immediate urgencies of power, the short-termism of polls, and manipulation through algorithms.
Establishing a scientific and cultural institution in Latin America, inspired by a multicultural and scientific entity like the Academy, would be a decisive contribution to regional security, the quality of political discourse, and the construction of a shared future.
As reported by elmostrador.cl.
