Stephan Rothlin

　　Is there an ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor? What role is AI playing in this process: do we have to anticipate a massive wipe-out of a broad range of jobs?

　　The present issue of the Macau Ricci Institute Journal intends to face the challenge of AI from an ethical point of view. With a reflection on the Encyclical letter “Magnifica Humanitas” of Pope Leo XIV. I share my ongoing dialogue with Zhou Shoujin which keeps going back on the question about the meaning of the Confucian terminology of “Common Good” (“Gong Shan”). The Encyclical letter places the “Common Good” firmly at the center of AI governance (Leo XIV, 2026, n. 59). In Confucianism, the Common Good is not merely the sum of individual preferences but an organic state of “Great Harmony” (Datong). The Confucian Common Good is defined through a tripartite structure namely the Commonality of Virtue: Goodness is inherently relational. As Mencius argued, one cannot be truly virtuous in isolation. The “good” of an AI system must be measured by how it improves the moral quality of relationships and its impact on the larger society, not just by speed or profit. Then as second key point relates to the Commonality of Well-being. The Book of Rites describes the Datong society: “The way is practiced, and the world is shared by all... The aged find their end, the strong their use, and the young their growth”. This is a direct parallel to the overall vision of an economy that “values dignity” (Leo XIV, 2026, n. 157). The key term of dignity seems a key notion which unites Christianity and Confucianism. And finally, the Transformation from Virtue to Well-being: In Confucian thought, moral order leads to material flourishing. If AI is governed by Ren (benevolence), the result will naturally be Datong (universal well-being). Zhou Shoujin takes this broad vision a step further or beyond Humanistic AI when he is re-grounding Artificial Intelligence with the Commonality of Virtue: This dimension posits that virtue (Good) is inherently common (Common). A single, isolated virtue is insufficient to constitute a complete moral good; true virtue exists only in a network of interconnected moral relations. As Confucius articulated, “If a man’s knowledge is sufficient to attain a good end, but he lacks benevolence (Ren) to hold onto it, he will lose what he has gained... Even if he possesses knowledge and benevolence, if he does not govern with dignity, the people will not respect him. And if he governs with dignity but fails to act in accordance with ritual propriety (Li), his actions are not yet perfect (not yet ‘Good’)” (Analects 15.34). In this framework, Ren (benevolence) serves as the ultimate synthesis of these interconnected virtues, while the Junzi (the noble person) acts as the practical embodiment of this holistic moral network.