Artificial intelligence, for real

Now that the AI Act has established the framework of rules that this technology must comply with, it is time to use it. What are the challenges and opportunities facing institutions and research organizations?

This was the starting point for a conversation and reflection between Ferruccio Resta, president at Fondazione Bruno Kessler, and Anna Ascani, vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, moderated by Wired Italia editor Federico Ferrazza in the beautiful setting of the Zandonai Theater in Rovereto where the 2024 Wired Next Fest Trentino is taking place.

What emerged was a view that artificial intelligence represents a disruptive technological revolution still in its infancy that will open up an extraordinary range of opportunities that is hard to summarize: we cannot think that ChatGPT is the end point. New horizons are being developed right now for vertical applications that can solve specific tasks, address critical issues, and optimize cost, error, and transparency, and it is on these vertical applications that we need to focus our attention and investment and prepare to employ the full potential of this revolution.

The goal is therefore to strike a balance between regulation and innovation that will prevent regulations from slowing up technological development and undermining the country’s competitiveness on a global scale. Vice-President Anna Ascani spoke about the steps for the implementation of the AI Act nationwide and recounted some experiments within the Chamber of Deputies for Artificial Intelligence applications to support the administration and open Parliament more and more to citizens.

Another topic at the center of the debate was schools and the education of the new generations: “A deep reflection on schools is needed. School has to become the place where young people are also trained in the use of new technologies, both in a practical sense and in the development of critical thinking, learning to ask the right questions to artificial intelligence applications. It must be recognized that the new generations are completely different from the past; therefore, teaching must also change, become more participatory and focused on discussion,”President Ferruccio Resta commented. 

Today, every institution and enterprise manages a vast amount of data, ranging from historical data, product and process data, market trends, customer expectations, and even data on the economic and environmental context: it is essential to exploit this data, integrating all sources to gain more accurate insights. However, the institution or business must be clear about the goals it pursues and the issues it intends to improve: only with a clear and structured strategy can data exploitation be put to good use. 

Therefore, it remains crucial to invest in human capital, so that there are people within institutions and companies who have a thorough understanding of the potential, risks, opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence, so that they can define and direct the valuable work of the workers who will go on to develop the artificial intelligence codes.

“For SMEs, Artificial Intelligence is a huge opportunity to enhance all the know-how, data and business processes.  My advice is to start pilot projects , calibrated to their size and capabilities, also in collaboration with public research organizations and universities, thus fostering a synergy that will allow an exchange of knowledge and skills in a win-win situation,” responded Ferruccio Resta to Wired editor Federico Ferrazza’s question on what advice to give to an entrepreneur who wants to invest in bringing artificial intelligence into their company.

President Ferruccio Resta then recounted some of the many artificial intelligence projects and experiments that Fondazione Bruno Kessler is carrying out at the moment, especially in the fields of healthcare and agriculture.

One example is the use of predictive artificial intelligence methods to help doctors predict the possible deterioration in the condition of patients with Parkinson’s disease. A well-established project available to citizens in Trentino since 2012 is the TreC+ platform, which offers telemonitoring services with chatbots that can support certain activities related to the promotion of health and prevention, such as monitoring, education, and cognitive-behavioral interventions

Agriculture is another area in which Fondazione Bruno Kessler has several active projects for the application of artificial intelligence, thanks to which it is possible to analyze environmental data, such as weather forecasts or land maps, to understand foliation and optimize water use, while robots and drones plan harvesting phases.

In what areas, then, is action needed? The answer is simpler and more precise than one might imagine: all of them. Artificial intelligence can transform professional sectors such as accounting, notary and legal firms, as well as large utilities that manage energy, mobility, water resources and waste management. From banks to insurance, to the manufacturing industry, AI offers potential in every area.