Artificial Intelligence is a key pillar for future technical and economic progress. In Italy, like in many other countries, there is a lot of work being done to standardize its use and capitalize on the enormous potential it provides. However, this necessitates the implementation of regulations that protect the ethical dimension, while also ensuring sustainable and safe development.
AI as Global Phenomenon with Local Variations
AI is ideally “ubiquitous”, yet its development and application vary widely around the world. While AI is prevalent in certain countries and industries, others are still developing techniques to adopt it. In Italy, there is a growing recognition that AI is a critical component of the country’s future development. AI tools for public use, such as programs that assist professionals in a variety of fields, have generated widespread interest and debate, notably on ethical issues.
European Regulation and its Implications
In Europe, the response to ethical concerns has been partly addressed through regulation, resulting in the AI Act. However, this regulation has led to some complications, resulting in a sense of closure with other significant participants in the business and impeding conversation and innovation. Companies in Europe may be hesitant to adopt new technologies due to concerns about the ramifications of legislative constraints.
In other regions of the world, such as China and the United States, the discussion over AI is just as intense. These countries tend to prioritize technical growth: the United States, for instance, allows corporations to self-regulate while acknowledging the necessity for control.
Italian Strategy for Artificial Intelligence
Italy has responded to these difficulties by publishing the Italian Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, which replaces the previous one for 2022-2024. This document examines the global backdrop and Italy’s position, defining strategic initiatives for four major areas: research, public administration, enterprise, and education. These domains, while diverse, are inextricably linked, and many of the proposed measures are transversal in character.
The strategy does not enforce rules, but rather provides a framework for developing the essential stages up to 2026, promoting the safe, responsible, and inclusive growth of AI. The document’s promotion of information and talent exchange among academics, business, and public administration is a critical component.
The Italian Strategy for Artificial Intelligence for Public Administration has two primary goals: increasing the efficiency of administrative operations and making services more accessible to residents and enterprises. This strategy seeks not just to improve the management of public resources, but also to make services more accessible and engaging. The implementation of specific AI systems for administrative purposes is viewed as a chance to significantly improve the citizen experience, increasing the effectiveness and immediacy of services provided.
Large Italian organizations are already using AI to gain a competitive advantage, improve product and service quality, and cut operating expenses. In contrast, SMEs, albeit having similar goals, are finding it more difficult to embrace these new technologies, owing to funding and digitisation limits. This gap emphasizes the importance of providing focused measures to help SMEs achieve digital transformation.
Our Approach
At Bitrock, we are dedicated to digital transformation and we consider AI as critical to its customers’ technical innovation. We have spent many years disseminating and educating about innovative aspects. The AI Act has helped to solidify the notion that all tools, particularly those using Artificial Intelligence, must be used responsibly, taking into account the ethical consequences.
We have recently concentrated on AI Observability, ensuring that algorithms behave in accordance with their original goals and do not change unexpectedly while in operation. Companies must constantly monitor AI and pay particular attention to the explainability of algorithms, as they evolve and are influenced by unforeseen external inputs.
AI as a Support of Sustainability: Innovations and Challenges in Italy
Artificial intelligence (AI) has a substantial environmental impact that is often underestimated. The vast energy usage of data centers and hardware production add significantly to the technology sector’s carbon footprint. Although AI is critical to fighting climate change, it produces significant emissions during model training and use. Data centers, with their powerful servers, are at the heart of this impact, requiring significant amounts of electricity and water to keep running.
The use of generative AI models, such as Chat GPT, for example, uses significantly more energy than a basic Google search: creating an image with an AI model can waste as much energy as keeping a smartphone on for half a day.
According to Goldman Sachs, the increased demand for AI may result in a 160 percent increase in energy usage in data centers by 2030. This increase will necessitate significant investments, particularly in Europe, where data center energy demand might surpass the combined consumption of Portugal, the Netherlands, and Greece.
The production of AI hardware, such as GPUs, has a substantial environmental impact. The extraction of raw materials, as well as the manufacturing and transportation of components, all produce considerable emissions that contribute to pollution. Furthermore, planned obsolescence and rapid technological advancement need frequent hardware replacement, resulting in difficult-to-dispose-of electronic trash.
Despite these obstacles, the future of AI can be more sustainable. Investing in energy-efficient technologies, using renewable energy to power data centers, and encouraging the circular economy through hardware recycling and repair are all critical steps towards reducing environmental impact. Furthermore, transparency in data on AI’s ecological impact, as well as companies’ responsibilities to support sustainable practices, are critical for raising awareness and pushing for a greener technological future.
In Italy, attempts are being undertaken to give AI a meaningful breakthrough by putting it to work for environmental, economic, and social sustainability. By leveraging its ability to evaluate complicated data, learn, and adapt, AI provides novel answers to global concerns such as natural resource management.
One of the first areas in our country to gain from this potential is the agrifood industry, which is making great growth due to the integration of sophisticated technologies. The adoption of technologies such as precision agriculture, which employs smart sensors to optimize resource use, and hydroponic agriculture, which significantly reduces water consumption, highlights AI’s transformational potential. Furthermore, innovations such as machine learning provide advances in agricultural productivity and the sustainability of supply.
Italian projects are supported by significant investments, particularly those from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which funds agricultural innovation and digitalization. These collaborative activities aim not just to boost commercial competitiveness, but also to assure a robust and sustainable future for Italian agriculture, all while tackling global environmental and social concerns.
Conclusions
The path to ethical and innovative AI use in Italy is fraught with hurdles, including the need for clear policies that do not stifle innovation but instead lead it towards positive outcomes. It is critical to ensure platforms’ technological neutrality while also promoting transparency and privacy in data use.
To summarize, while Italy tries to realize the potential of AI, it is critical that legislation does not become an impediment, but rather a support for ethical and sustainable development. Dialogue among all stakeholders, including governments, businesses, and professionals, will be critical to ensuring that AI benefits society while adhering to ethical norms and supporting innovation.
