St. Thomas University Unveils 7 Standards for Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Thomas University (STU), a South Florida-based private, nonprofit institution committed to fostering students' academic and professional success while helping them become ethical leaders in the global community, has introduced the Seven Standards for Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence. Located in the heart of one of the nation's fastest-growing tech hubs and most culturally diverse global communities, STU believes the future of this evolving technology depends on the values we embed in it today.

"As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform our world, it risks outpacing the kind of reflection necessary for establishing ethical guardrails. At its best, AI can amplify human potential; at its worst, it can undermine trust, erode dignity, deepen inequality, and facilitate deception," STU President David Armstrong J.D., said. "The time to agree on universal ethical standards for AI is now, and the place to lead the charge is right here at St. Thomas University in Miami."

The standards are inspired by Catholic social teaching, but their application is universal because the ethical challenges of AI affect us all. STU's proposed ethical standards are summarized below, each reflecting a foundational value in our human-centered framework for responsible AI—one that prioritizes human flourishing at every stage of innovation and implementation:

1. Respect for Human Dignity – AI systems must honor a person's dignity by safeguarding their privacy, ensuring informed consent, and preventing exploitation.
2. Promotion of the Common Good – AI should be oriented toward the welfare of all, especially the vulnerable, and designed to reduce inequalities and foster human development.
3. Transparency and Accountability – AI must be developed with mechanisms for transparency and clear accountability with ethical oversight.
4. Enhancement of Human Capabilities – AI should augment human intelligence and creativity.
5. Stewardship of Creation and Peace – AI development must align with ecological ethics and reject any use that threatens human life, dignity or the environment.
6. Formation in Solidarity and Participation – AI should offer all–especially the technologically marginalized – the opportunity to actively participate in its development.
7. The Primacy of Human Judgement & Control – AI should always be directed toward human flourishing and safeguard human judgment and decision making.

"STU's ethical standards affirm that people must always be at the heart of decision-making," said Dr. Jaime Franco, Director of the University's Institute for Ethical Leadership who is leading STU's Artificial Intelligence Research & Ethics Network (AIREN). AiREN is currently curating scholarly content on artificial intelligence to build a free, publicly searchable research database. The team is also developing the University's "Ethical AI Labeling Program," which will assess AI software and companies for transparency, efficacy, bias, and societal benefit. These initiatives are being carried out in close collaboration with AI experts and scholars, all guided by STU's seven core ethical standards.

"By working together instead of competing with one another, we can guide AI to embody both our deepest values and our most advanced potential," Dr. Franco added.

About St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (STU) is one of the South's premier Catholic universities. It is a private, nonprofit institution committed to fostering students' academic and professional success and helping them become ethical leaders in the global community. Rich with cultural and international diversity, STU is a Miami Archdiocesan university, the only archdiocesan university in Florida, and one of just 11 nationwide. STU offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degree programs online and on the university's beautiful Miami Gardens campus via its College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences & Technology, College of Law, Gus Machado College of Business, and Biscayne College for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. STU serves 7,660 undergraduate, graduate, and dual enrollment students, a 78% increase since President David A. Armstrong, J.D., took office in the fall of 2018. STU is completing $123 million in improvements, its biggest expansion since its 1961 founding, including adding 400,000 square feet of new facilities. Among other objectives, President Armstrong's new "Pursue Excellence" strategic vision seeks to build a new 99,000-square-foot STEM and nursing building, expand the College of Law, and construct new athletic facilities.  

Media Contact: Belkis A Mejia | St. Thomas University | [email protected] | 305.474.6949 

SOURCE St. Thomas University