Benevolence and propriety
Digital governance begins with responsibility and accountability to ensure technology serves society as a whole not just a few
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Artificial intelligence is already shaping how we learn, work, communicate, govern and even understand ourselves. Governments across the world are responding with new regulations and standards to manage these changes. These efforts are necessary, but regulation alone isn't enough. The challenge is not only how to regulate technology, but how to govern it responsibly. As digital transformation becomes integral to global development, we should pause and consider what it means for people and communities.
Digital technologies offer remarkable opportunities. They can enhance education, strengthen healthcare, make public services more accessible and help societies address complex challenges. Yet increasingly, important decisions are shaped by digital systems that most people neither understand nor control. Algorithms affect access to services, employment, education and public life, often without people knowing how those decisions are made. As these systems become more complex, the distance between those who design them and those who live with their consequences continues to widen.
Therefore, the central question is not whether societies should become more digital. The real questions are: Who will benefit? Who will decide? And who is accountable if harm occurs? These questions lead us beyond technology into the realm of ethics.
Every technological system reflects human choices, determining what is measured, valued and overlooked. These are not purely technical decisions; they are moral ones concerning people's development, security and human rights. A digital system may be fast and efficient, but efficiency alone is never enough. We should always be able to explain and justify the decisions to the people whose lives they affect.
Today the call for people-centered digital governance is gathering momentum. This approach requires people to be given a genuine voice in decisions that affect them. It requires transparency about how digital systems work and accountability when mistakes are made. Above all, it requires respect for human dignity. Technology should serve people, not the other way around. Before asking what technology can be achieved, we should first ask what kind of society we want to build. Ethical orientation before action is not a barrier to innovation. It is what allows innovation to deserve public trust.
While reflecting on these questions, I found inspiration in two ideas from the Confucian tradition: ren and li. Although they come from a different cultural context than my own, they speak to challenges we all face. Ren, or benevolence, reminds us that being human begins with care and responsibility for others. Li, or propriety, reminds us that these values become real through our actions and the way we treat one another. Together, they suggest that ethics is not simply a matter of laws or principles, but a way of living together.
Consider the growing use of AI to help doctors detect diabetic retinopathy, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness. AI can identify early signs of the disease from retinal images, enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment. Yet, accurate diagnosis alone is not enough. Patients also expect transparency about how recommendations are made, confidence that physicians remain responsible for the final decision and assurance that accountability is never delegated to an algorithm. In this sense, ren reminds us that the purpose of technology is to serve human wellbeing, while li means that this purpose must be expressed through responsible institutions, transparent procedures and accountable decision-making.
The relevance of these ideas extends well beyond philosophy. China's Global AI Governance Initiative, for example, reflects a people-centered vision of AI by emphasizing human responsibility, ethical oversight, fairness and human control. This is not a question of East or West. No culture has a monopoly on responsibility, dignity or human wisdom. Different traditions may use different words, but they often point toward the same truth: Those who shape the lives of others must remain accountable to them.
Digital governance therefore requires not only the exchange of technologies, but also a genuine dialogue between moral traditions, each contributing to a digital future that serves human beings rather than getting reduced to users, data or objects of management. Ultimately, the future of digital governance will not be decided only by better technology or more sophisticated regulation. It will also depend on the character of the people who design, govern and use these systems.
Our digital age often promises optimization, automation and systems edging ever closer to perfection. Yet, rather than perfection, human life has always been about relationships, judgment, responsibility and the ability to learn from mistakes. If digital transformation is truly to advance global development, it must strengthen these human qualities rather than weaken them.
Responsible governance begins not with algorithms or regulations, but with the recognition that every technological decision affects another human life. Digital governance earns legitimacy not because algorithms become more sophisticated, but because institutions remain accountable for how technology shapes human lives. Accountability and respect for human dignity are not constraints on innovation; they are the very conditions that enable innovation to earn lasting public trust. As AI continues to transform our societies, responsibility should remain our first design principle, because the true measure of progress is not what technology can do, but what it enables human beings to become.
The author is the founder of ETHOS Global Consulting, an international advisory based in the Geneva area, Switzerland. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.
