The complex relationship between ‘thinking machines’ and humanity explored in a book

Ethics and artificial intelligence. This important – indeed, fundamental – pairing raises a key issue:  AI is not inevitable, but rather an opportunity that requires human responsibility. In other words, AI is a tool. It must be thoroughly understood in order to be used correctly.  It is a cultural endeavour centred precisely on ethics, which translates into a shared responsibility for all. This is the central theme of Giacomo Venir’s book ‘Dilemma digitale. L’etica nell’era dell’Intelligenza Artificiale’ (Digital dilemma: ethics in the age of artificial intelligence).

The book draws precisely on the point mentioned above: behind the apparent neutrality of technology lie intertwined economic, political and ethical choices that are reshaping the way we live in the world. Understanding these choices requires the wisdom to direct innovation towards the common good, a goal which,  upon closer inspection, is neither self-evident nor universally accepted.  However, it is the only truly acceptable one.

The book – which won the ‘Impresa Saggia’ Award – is divided into four sections. First, it begins by focusing on what AI really is; next, it explores ‘Inside the Artificial Mind’; then examines in depth what it means to ‘govern the algorithm’ at the heart of AI; and finally, the last step: the importance of humanity and its significance.

From Turing’s ideas to neural interfaces, from smart factories to the quest for a form of wisdom that is within our grasp, there is a need for a new balance,  it is clear that ethics must once again serve as the compass by which we look to the future, before technology ends up deciding for us.

Some of Venir’s concluding words are truly beautiful: ‘The future is not predetermined, but neither is it empty.  It is made up of lines of code and  small choices. Of silences. Of thresholds, of unconsciousness. Navigating it will require much more than mere intelligence. It will require attention, curiosity, and a certain inner calm. And perhaps a willingness to allow oneself to be questioned by something that has not yet been named.’ Giacomo Venir’s first book is a must-read. And with the wisdom we all possess.

Dilemma digitale. L’etica nell’era dell’Intelligenza Artificiale

Giacomo Venir

Guerini Next, 2025