“We are witnesses every day of a request of training from businesses and public administration about the development of generative artificial intelligence,” with these words Gaetano Quagliariello, Dean of the Luiss School of Government, opened the conference “Generative Artificial Intelligence in the World of Business and PA” held at the Hall of Columns at Luiss University. The experts speeches have been moderated by the director of the Italian web news site Formiche, Flavia Giacobbe.
Potentialities and development
Paolo Spagnoletti, Fastweb and Vodafone Chair in Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation at Luiss, states that strategies for generative AI for small and medium enterprises should be based on three key points: “Plug and play approach, architectural interventions and market initiatives.”
Many companies “are experimenting with different strategies to integrate generative AI, balancing opportunities and risks,” however, uncertainty remains “especially regarding data governance, security, and AI sustainability.” To this end, the research “promoted by Fastweb, Vodafone, and the Luiss AI for Society center, has the role of guiding organizations towards a conscious, strategic, and sustainable use of artificial intelligence.”
Paola Severino, president of the Luiss School of Law, states that “a lot of work must be done because it is necessary to introduce new skills within the industrial landscape”. She emphasizes that “AI is developing more rapidly in the world of private companies than in public administration, creating a disparity that needs to be filled.” She recalls how “Europe on the issue of artificial intelligence has been very timely, perhaps too much” and highlights the legislative limit “because it is a standard regulation that was not based on concreteness.”
Laws and application of AI technology
“AI technology is a key factor in the military and defense field” states Lorenzo Guerini, president of Copasir, the Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic. “Today we speak about war but we have to speak about Hybrid war. The element of information and artificial intelligence on the subject of disinformation are a very powerful factor.” He emphasizes how collaboration between Europe and the United States is necessary for the development and application of artificial intelligence.
“The speed of AI development makes it difficult for legislative bodies to keep up,” says Debora Bergamini, vice president of the Italian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly for National Cybersecurity, who stresses that “the task of the legislator is to create an ‘ecosystem’ so that companies can use the potential of technology.” Bergamini also believes it is essential to “guarantee rules so that the algorithm does not override human freedom.”
Small and medium enterprises and technology
The intervention of Vittoria Carli, Confindustria, General Confederation of Italian Industries, focuses on the importance of generative artificial intelligence for businesses and the role of public administration. “42% of our companies, precisely because they are technological and digital, are already experimenting with it,” she says based on a study conducted on 200 associated companies. More difficulties are faced by the small companies. “Public administration must be a source of innovation for businesses” and emphasizes how PA is the actor that can combine synergies between small businesses and technologies.
Walter Renna, CEO of Fastweb and Vodafone, highlights the problems associated with AI “energy consumption and costs are not manageable by a huge number of our entrepreneurial system” he says. “A part of our entrepreneurial system risks a no access to artificial intelligence systems.” The exclusion of businesses, especially smaller ones, can become “a matter of economic democracy” and create negative effects in the economy.
Professor Giuseppe F. Italiano, pro-rector for Artificial intelligence and digital skills, Luiss, explained that the role of the university is to bridge the gap between academic research and innovation. “The AI for Society research center aims to study the impact of artificial intelligence on companies and society, through various lenses, technological, economic and human.” The professor concludes by stating that artificial intelligence should be considered as a revolution that requires governance, training and strategic vision.
