FAO CertusCare Pilot Launch (Virtual) Event Opening Remarks

Dear colleagues,

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to all of you joining us from across the global FAO network, from headquarters to the country offices.

It is a pleasure to be with you today as we are taking another important step forward in our journey from Digital FAO – which I started in 2019 and during which time we used the pandemic as an opportunity at the crisis - to a fresh face with AI driving FAO.

One small step for you and one giant leap for FAO!

The AI generation has come as fast as expected! In Geneva, last week, the ITU SG told me that the AI Generation has come!

The AI is and will be more and more part of the interactions of our life and work.

I am proud to announce the pilot launch of our new AI-powered HR chatbot - an initiative that reflects our shared commitment to innovation, service excellence, the 4Es and modernization.

This chatbot is a symbol of how we are re-imagining the way we work, embedding intelligence, accessibility, and care into our daily operations.

Developed jointly by our Human Resources Division, Digital FAO and Agro‑Informatics teams, this pilot represents a bold application of AI to support our employees - our most valuable asset.

It reflects a collaborative spirit, a user-centered design, and a clear vision for the future.

It is multilingual, mobile-friendly, and integrated into our digital workplace, ensuring that support is always available 24 hours a day across all FAO offices around the world. That is the real advantage!

We are calling this new assistant FAO CertusCare - a name that combines the Latin word ‘certus’ meaning “reliable” and “assured” with the word ‘care’, which reflects our human-centered approach to HR, as well as other services.

As we embark on this journey, I am reminded of the Chinese proverb that says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Bold innovation often means taking the first step – in China we also say that you need to take the first step yourself even for a six-thousand-mile-long march - and while the journey ahead might not always be easy, it is a journey we must undertake together.

As with any emerging technology, we are mindful of the risks, and we know that we need to maintain human oversight. First, we should trust the new technology and then manage the risks.

We are committed to learning, improving and expanding this initiative together, with transparency and trust.

I want to thank the teams in HR and CSI for their innovative, action oriented, and bold spirit, and all of you who have contributed to shaping this pilot.

Your insights, your feedback and your engagement will be essential to improvement, iteration, and to its final success.

I encourage colleagues to try it more voluntarily and challenge the chatbot – even dumb questions are important to improve the system!

By the end of year, we will have a stocktaking and have a new version, or even with new aspects of AI services, including with the support of Big Data.

Let us embrace the new opportunity of the AI generation to lead by example, not only within FAO, but across the UN system, as we build a smarter, more reliable, and more caring ONE FAO for all.

FAO CertusCare welcomes you to have a better life, and with fun! It’s a new way of life, and a new way to receive service at all hours – it is something truly powerful!

I congratulate all of you.

Thank you.