Jacopo Murzi’s article in the Avvenire newspaper
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the world of healthcare, opening up new possibilities for research, prevention, diagnosis and personalised treatment. But in what direction should this innovation go? And what skills are needed to manage it responsibly?
These are the questions at the heart of the article by Jacopo Murzi, Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Italia, published in the newspaper Avvenire. Drawing inspiration from Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica humanitas, Murzi draws attention to a fundamental principle: technological progress has value only if it remains at the service of the individual.
Artificial intelligence can help healthcare professionals interpret vast amounts of data, accelerate scientific research, support more timely clinical decisions and facilitate personalised treatment pathways. But no technology can replace the act of listening, the relationship of trust and the responsibility that characterise the act of care.
In his contribution, Murzi emphasises the need to develop transparent, secure and inclusive systems, capable of preventing discrimination and always ensuring human oversight in decisions concerning people’s health. This is a challenge that concerns not only healthcare professionals, but also institutions, businesses, the research community and citizens.
This awareness has also given rise to The Future of Care, an initiative promoted by Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Italia, Microsoft Italia and Fondazione Mondo Digitale to support healthcare workers and professionals in understanding and consciously adopting new technologies.
The aim is not merely to transfer technical skills, but to contribute to building a culture of innovation capable of combining scientific knowledge, critical thinking and responsibility. Because the quality of care will increasingly depend on the ability to integrate the potential of artificial intelligence with what remains profoundly human: professional judgement, ethics and a focus on the individual.
At a time when public debate often swings between enthusiasm and fear, the call of Magnifica humanitas invites a more practical perspective: not merely asking what artificial intelligence can do, but how to use it to build a healthcare system that is fairer, more accessible and closer to people’s needs.
Patients, not ‘biological parameters’
The humanity of care must be preserved
by Jacopo Murzi
Avvenire, 6 June 2026
