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

Work, its value and the effort it requires. The projects and products, the techniques and the innovative ingenuity. Hands that consider how to improve upon what tradition and experience have already taught. The dignity in the eyes of the men and women who, despite everything, despite the sweat and dust, the weariness and the pain of movements repeated a thousand times yet never truly understood in the deepest sense of their purpose, ultimately conveyed one thing with clarity: all that bustling about and building, turning and assembling, grinding and filing, shaping and applying colour, applying chemical formulas and fitting tiny mechanical contraptions into larger machines… All that labour, in short, whilst being part of an ancient and brutal exchange – work in exchange for wages, toil in exchange for well-being – went beyond those gestures and that very exchange. The idea of humanity.

Work is dignity.  It is an essential part of a person.  It is an essential value of what Simone Weil called ‘the working-class condition’, which coincided with the human condition itself at certain moments. Our Constitution speaks of work as a source of dignity and a value right from the outset.

These insights emerge from a series of initiatives exploring the relationship between industrial work and photography, and between ‘techne’ and the representation of the unique creative and constructive capacity that has shaped the history of Italian industrial work and the country’s technological progress over time. And today there is a growing sense, particularly among businesses, of the importance of documenting the evolution of industrial activity over time, and the transformations of the factory in step with the development of new technologies. The spread of the digital economy (right up to the establishment of AI in all work processes) makes this need for documentation all the more urgent.

What were we like? How did we become what we are today? How we are changing as we move from the era of analogue and Fordist industrialisation to the new digital age. Documenting to preserve memories, but also to raise awareness of a ‘human adventure’ in which industry remains a key component.

The work of documenting. There are currently numerous photographic projects underway, ranging from the re-examination and promotion of historical archives to the documentation of current events.  These projects involve AEM, the Ansaldo Foundation, Pirelli, and a range of other industrial firms, including small and medium-sized enterprises. They aim to bring to life the story of Italy, which arrived late to large-scale industrialisation in the second half of the nineteenth century. However, it proved itself capable of ‘doing well’ in the second half of the twentieth century, becoming Europe’s second-largest industrial nation after Germany. Today, with a newfound self-awareness, Italy has decided to press ahead with the transition from ‘know-how’ to ‘knowledge-sharing’ as part of a Confindustria initiative,  constructing a new narrative of the factory, industrial activity and the sophisticated modernisation associated with it. Research, science and technology, combined with design, creative and manufacturing expertise. A veritable ‘civilisation of machines’ in which the human person continues to occupy a central place.

A newly published book, ‘Sguardi sulla fabbrica’ (Glimpses of the factory), published by Mimesis on the initiative of the Isec Foundation, edited by Giorgio Bigatti and Tatiana Agliani, and with the support of the AEM Foundation and the Pirelli Foundation, provides guidance on this journey. These glimpses are ‘the story of Uliano Lucas’, brought to life through a fresh exploration of his invaluable archive as a photographer who, better and more than any other great Italian photographer, documented industrial life (the photographs are currently on display at the Mudima in Milan)

There are 120 photographs, selected from over hundreds of thousands of shots. With remarkable intensity, they chronicle the evolution of the myriad forms of work in an Italy that, from the early 1970s to the present day, has become one of Europe’s leading industrial nations – a transformation achieved hastily and without paying too much heed to wages, working conditions or the environment. And, despite everything, it is heading towards a clear destiny:  to continue as a land of factories, increasingly high-tech, increasingly ‘beautiful’, that is, well-designed, sustainable, bright, and thus productive and competitive. A neo-industrial Italy:  many of Lucas’s photographs in the fields of aerospace and energy bear this out.

Lucas chronicles the evolution of manual labour over time and without triumphalism. And he documents the very way of representing work and of participating in that special economic and social era which, despite its contradictions and conflicts, gave rise to the world of Italian industry. In the great factories of Turin, Milan and Ivrea: Fiat, Pirelli, Alfa Romeo, Olivetti and the chemical firm Montedison. And in the workshops of Lumezzane in the Brescia area and in the Brembana Valley. From home-based work in the Mantua area to the ceramics factories in Sassuolo and the ‘white goods’ industry in the north-east (washing machines, fridges, dishwashers and kitchen appliances). And the heaviness of Italsider’s steel and the apparent lightness of the textile and clothing industry, the jewellery workshops and shoe factories in the Marche region. And much more.

Industrial ‘Made in Italy’ takes a thousand forms, from Fordist mass production to its emergence in the new high-tech manufacturing of the 1990s, whilst overalls, gestures, faces and attitudes change. From Mirafori and Bicocca, cities as grand as the (fascinating but ultimately fleeting) ideology of ‘small is beautiful’.

We grow. Images of energy and aerospace are pathways to a future that is already here, testaments to the ‘future of memory’. The offices, with their staff, reflect a process that has significant social consequences, with multiple and contradictory implications.

Uliano Lucas witnessed, studied and documented almost all of these transformations.  He did so with a dry, austere gaze and through rigorous, minimalist shots.  There is never a hint of rhetoric or propagandistic bias.

A great reporter, if anything, who throughout his life placed his work, his techniques, trade union struggles and the evolution of forms and methods at the heart of a kind of mission:  to bear witness, to document, to tell the story. A novel of work through images. The photograph of the female worker amongst the spools at the Marzotto textile mill is one of the most beautiful in the book.

Thinking of Uliano, with his kind yet stern and sincere gaze, I am reminded of that fine description of a reporter that Ryszard Kapuscinski gives of himself:  ‘A cynic is not cut out for this profession’

There is a widespread recognition that  work is central to the Republic, as enshrined in Article 1 of its founding document, the Constitution. And a strong belief in the ethics of hope, achieved precisely through work, for a better quality of life.

That man, who had emigrated from a small Sardinian village, standing there in all his strength, laden with suitcases, in front of the Pirelli Tower in the autumn of 1968, as he waited for the tram that would take him to Rho and from there to the factory, is the perfect symbol of this.

A photographer, such as Uliano Lucas, who focuses on the essence of the image, can also be a true, great poet.

(Photo: Uliano Lucas, Lanificio Marzotto, Valdagno (Vicenza), 1988)

A collection of various studies examines the significant issue of corporate memory in Southern Italy

The cultural and historical heritage of a company can be preserved, organised and showcased, ultimately bringing it back to life.  This approach is now shared by many industrial and economic organisations in Italy and beyond. Understanding the significance of these individual initiatives is important:  they highlight the distinctive features of each company, provide a clearer picture of its past and offer insights into its future. In other words, documentary heritage relating to the history of business and work encompasses the most significant cultural, social and productive forces within a large part of the country’s economy.

It is from these premises that the series of studies and investigations coordinated by Amedeo Lepore and Giuseppe Moricola drew inspiration, and which have recently been published as a collection.

Taken together, these studies examine the identification, recovery, organisation and promotion of corporate archives and museums in central and southern Italy from a variety of perspectives. A number of significant case studies have been examined, all of which share one key feature:  these are organisations operating in very different sectors. The working group’s research therefore covers cases such as Banco di Napoli, Mastroberardino and RCA Italia, as well as business clusters such as San Leucio in Campania and the larger Cassa per il Mezzogiorno cluster.

However, what is important beyond the value of individual studies is the general trend that emerges from them.  In addition to presenting and discussing the current state of archival and museum collections, the studies describe a range of specific experiences and case studies that demonstrate the variety of resources available. The analyses coordinated by Lepore and Moricola also provide an important practical insight: the need for a collaborative approach to reviving the systematic collection of widely available documentation. This would provide fresh impetus for analysing entrepreneurship and business in Southern Italy, thereby complementing the existing focus on larger economic entities in the north of the country.

Archivi e memoria di impresa nel Mezzogiorno. Bilanci e prospettive

edited by Amedeo Lepore and Giuseppe Moricola

Rubbettino, 2026

During this school year, the Pirelli Foundation again took part in “A scuola d’impresa – L’Italia nei nostri musei e archivi d’impresa” (At Business School – Italy in Our Corporate Museums and Archives), promoted by Museimpresa in collaboration with LIUC – Cattaneo University. Recognised as the FSL (Formazione Scuola Lavoro), the initiative involved students in their first three years of secondary school, with the aim of introducing younger generations to the history and values of Italian companies through the heritage preserved in company museums and archives.

As part of this project, the Pirelli Foundation presented “Storie di sport Pirelli tra parola e fotografia” (Pirelli Sports in Words and Photographs). The journey began with a visit to the exhibition The Sports Workshop, followed by an exploration of the extensive photographic collection held in the Foundation’s historical archive. By observing and analysing both historical and contemporary images, students from the Bassi technical institute in Lodi discovered the close link between Pirelli and the world of sport – from car and motorcycle racing to cycling, sailing, and sports for employees. They reflected on sport as a vehicle for participation, innovation, and corporate welfare.

After this initial phase of discovery, the students worked in groups, choosing photographs from the exhibition and transforming them into stories. With enthusiasm, curiosity, and a strong collaborative spirit, they took on the challenge of creative writing, writing stories that convey the emotion, context, and atmosphere of the sporting events captured in the images.

Their work resulted in four intriguing stories, each dedicated to a sporting discipline linked to Pirelli’s history – Formula 1, rallying, sailing, and motorcycling. Set between past and present, these tales weave together history and story-telling, drawing the audience into the rhythm of the races, the roar of engines, the tension of competition, and the passion of athletes and fans alike.

The students then made audio recordings of the texts, which became an integral part of the exhibition. Visitors to The Sports Workshop exhibition at the Pirelli Foundation can listen to these stories directly within the display until mid-July, letting the students’ voices guide them on a narrative voyage through images, sport, and corporate history.

The experience proved to be not only educational but also deeply engaging. The students took part with great enthusiasm, developed a passion for working with archival material, and thoroughly enjoyed turning photographs into stories. Once again, this shows how a company’s historical heritage can become a living resource – capable of sparking creativity, encouraging critical thinking, and inspiring new ways of recounting the past.

A recently discussed thesis presents the Vespa as a paradigm of a distinctive corporate culture

There are some objects born of industrial ingenuity that become icons not only of technology but also of design. Objects that are expressions of a unique manufacturing culture.  Objects that mark significant historical and social periods,  for everyone. This is certainly true of the legendary Vespa, an iconic product that has shaped, and continues to shape, a unique industrial culture. These are topics that deserve in-depth study. Alberto Prearo’s research took the form of a thesis presented at the University of Padua, and he has done just that.

Reading ‘L’immagine iconica della Vespa tra arte, cinema e design’ (The iconic image of the Vespa: art, cinema and design), one realises – as Prearo himself writes – ‘how few other objects have been able to embody, with the same effectiveness as the Vespa, the complex interplay between technological innovation, industrial production, visual communication and the shaping of the collective imagination within the landscape of 20th-century material culture’.

The thesis is a passionate exploration of the origins and development of this iconic product, as well as its portrayal in the visual arts. In the aftermath of the devastation caused by the Second World War, the country embarked on a process of reconstruction that would soon lead to an economic boom. It was against this backdrop that the success of the Vespa took place, embodying cultural, social and economic transformations. Prearo explains that the Vespa is one of the symbols of Italian lifestyles and daily habits, which are undergoing a process of renewal and growth with the introduction of new consumption patterns, particularly in terms of new forms of mobility.

This thesis therefore examines the Vespa through these various aspects, analysing how this industrial product evolved into a cultural artefact that reflected and shaped the collective imagination of post-war Italy.

Alberto Prearo’s work highlights the processes through which this scooter became an icon of Italian design.  In this way, an academic study becomes the story of a nation.

L’immagine iconica della Vespa tra arte, cinema e design

Alberto Prearo

Thesis, University of Padua, Department of Cultural Heritage: Archaeology, Art History, Film History and Music History, 2026

A study discussed at the University of Padua explores the topic of storytelling

Telling your story to the market and to the world  is no easy task, especially in today’s climate where the differences between companies have quickly become blurred: products from one brand or another are becoming increasingly similar, to the point where consumers take the quality of each for granted. Hence the need to  position yourself in a way that sets you apart from the competition. And here, it is increasingly the world of storytelling that counts. This is the world that is the focus of ‘Raccontare la scrittura:  storytelling ed identità verbale della Scuola Holden’ (Telling the story: storytelling and verbal identity at the Scuola Holden), a research paper by Miriam Lombardi.

The research explains that competition based on storytelling rather than on the product itself leads many companies to create a strong brand identity: the brand must possess unique intangible characteristics and core values that are relevant and engaging to its consumers. In this way, companies are able to convey and deliver quality to their customers, encouraging them to choose them time and time again. All this requires not only content but also technical expertise. In other words, it is not enough to have a strong identity; the way in which it is conveyed also matters. It is, in other words, an era of attention to the smallest details, both online and offline, and of crafting a way of expressing oneself through a set of symbols that ultimately defines the company itself. This is the era of storytelling as a means of communicating one’s identity, in an attempt to increase closeness with one’s audience and added value for customers, as well as to build empathy for the brand itself and its values. Miriam Lombardi’s study examines the methods and approaches adopted by the Scuola Holden in Turin. While not strictly a business, but a private institution that follows many of the promotional strategies that would also apply to brand management. Miriam Lombardi’s study is therefore unique: it examines corporate storytelling through the lens of an organisation that has made storytelling one of its core offerings.

Raccontare la scrittura: storytelling ed identità verbale della Scuola Holden

Miriam Lombardi

Thesis, University of Padua, Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, 2026

A book attempts to analyse remote working from both theoretical and practical perspectives

Remote working has evolved from an emergency measure to the norm, effectively changing the very culture of work and production  (and not just in Italy). It has become a sort of permanent laboratory for organisational, technological and cultural transformation. Therefore, understanding the nature and evolution of remote working means taking a step forward in our understanding of how work, and the surrounding culture, is changing.

‘Lo smart working in Italia. Una lettura socio-tecnica del lavoro agile tra mutamenti organizzativi e trasformazioni tecnologiche’ (Remote working in Italy. A socio-technical analysis of remote working amid organisational changes and technological transformations), a book edited by Lorenzo Fattori and Massimo Angelo Zanetti, brings together a series of findings on the subject that emerged from the research programme on remote working carried out as part of the NRRP NODES project. The book is divided into two sections. The first provides a theoretical exploration of the topic, while the second section uses a multi-method approach, combining quantitative analysis with comparative qualitative research, to improve our understanding of the phenomenon. This series of in-depth studies reveals a complex reality resulting from the interplay between infrastructure, digital artefacts, management models and everyday practices. Working and production conditions that highlight the search for, and often the creation of, a balance ‘marked by tensions between control and autonomy, as well as generational divides and differences between SMEs and large companies’. All this must be achieved without neglecting the new requirements regarding cybersecurity and its implementation.  Moreover, let’s not forget the impact that the comfort and design of remote workspaces have on professional identity and performance.

The body of research coordinated by Fattori and Zanetti paints a complex, varied and multifaceted picture of remote working. It certainly isn’t confined to the pages of the book that tells its story, either. In fact, the emerging model of remote working requires an approach that encompasses organisational, regulatory, technological and ethical aspects, all of which still need to be worked out.

Lo smart working in Italia. Una lettura socio-tecnica del lavoro agile tra mutamenti organizzativi e trasformazioni tecnologiche

Lorenzo Fattori, Massimo Angelo Zanetti

Franco Angeli, 2026

‘Exams never end’, said Eduardo De Filippo in 1973 with a tone of weary melancholy,  describing a difficult existential condition involving exhausting responses to life’s constant challenges,  a chapter of unhappiness from the ‘Cantata dei Giorni Dispari’.

Under the torment of exams, Eduardo was extraordinary: a marvellous chapter in the history of Italian theatre. And yet, leafing through today’s newspapers, this state of perpetual uncertainty seems to have taken on a different dimension to Eduardo’s sadness: ‘The desire to go to university returns at forty,’ writes Viola Giannoli in La Repubblica (28 April),  noting how ‘the number of adults returning to university is growing’. Over the last decade, their numbers have doubled, she says, ‘a choice in search of redemption and new skills’.

There are 133,079 students aged over 40 at university (academic year 2024–2025), accounting for 6.4% of Italy’s 2 million university students. And their number is increasing year by year. There were just 61 thousand in 2015/16. This figure exceeded 100 thousand in 2021/22, reaching 122,454 in 2023/24. This is a continuing phenomenon.

As we know, Italy ranks second from last in Europe in terms of the number of university graduates.  And it certainly won’t be students with grey hair who solve the problem (especially given the general demographic trend of a steadily declining population). Yet those more than 100,000 forty-somethings who are picking up their books again and adding a renewed commitment to their studies to their daily work and normal family responsibilities are telling the rest of the country something very important.

Work, knowledge and the skills required have changed radically, not only for career progression, but also to tackle with greater awareness all the challenges posed by the digital and environmental transitions that have long been reshaping professional environments (in industry, services and countless sectors of the service sector). Failing to acquire the skills needed to keep pace with these changes effectively means falling behind in the workplace. With consequent repercussions in terms of career prospects and pay.

Of course, amongst so many personal stories, there are plenty that speak of personal fulfilment, of cultural and social pride in finally obtaining a degree after having reluctantly put their studies on hold, of personal achievements, and of a desire to complete a journey interrupted in their youth for financial and family reasons. Of climbing the social ladder.

But, on closer inspection of the stories gathered by universities, from Milan to Bologna, professional and career needs take precedence.

The decisions made by universities regarding distance learning, which was successfully tested during the pandemic, play a significant role in favouring the resumption of studies. There is also a growing awareness among teaching staff of their responsibilities regarding the country’s general level of knowledge and improving tools for understanding increasingly complex and difficult-to-interpret real-world situations.

However, the greatest driver is the awareness of the need to cope with changes in production methods and work content.

Growing awareness of the relationship between productivity and wages is also acting as a stimulus. Equally significant are the changes in roles and responsibilities brought about by the radical shifts in production cycles, which have been transformed by the spread of digital technologies and data-driven organisational practices.

Everything suggests that the growing prevalence of Artificial Intelligence will now lead to a renewed interest in reading books. While it is true that many companies are making great efforts to enhance their employees’ professional skills through training programmes, a return to books and university environments continues to hold a certain appeal.

We are a country that invests little in research and training, that reads little, and that has a high level of functional illiteracy. We struggle to meet the new technological challenges linked not only to work, but also to the many processes of digitisation in everyday life.

So, it is certainly welcome news that people over 40 are returning to university. This will have a positive impact on our understanding of the issues affecting our daily lives, starting with health and the environment. It will also raise awareness of the complexity of the choices we face in our personal and social lives, given the changes taking place and the technological, cultural, social and moral implications they entail. ‘It’s never too late’, as the saying goes, to properly understand how and to what extent our world is changing, and to act accordingly. And a book is becoming increasingly essential.

(photo Getty Images)

‘In construction, it’s not concrete, it’s not wood, it’s not stone, it’s not steel, it’s not glass that’s the most resilient element. The most resilient material in construction is art.’ These are the words of Gio Ponti. And with them, he identifies, as the cornerstone of a building’s life (and, by extension, of an object), not so much and not merely the strength of the material, but that other dimension, far more difficult to define, which is beauty, the artistic quality of a building.

Construction of the Pirelli Tower in Milan began in 1956 and it opened in 1960. A symbol of Italy’s economic boom, it continues to serve as a distinctive landmark and a symbol of the city’s identity, even though other beautiful and famous skyscrapers have been built in Milan over the years. Why has it defied the passage of time? Designed by Ponti himself, with the structural elements designed by Pier Luigi Nervi, the skyscraper has become an icon thanks to its distinctive octagonal shape. Over the years it has come to symbolise modernity. Only time will tell how many and which other buildings will share these same characteristics. In the meantime, however, the tower, known affectionately as the ‘Pirellone’ (The Big Pirelli), remains. It’s impossible not to look at it, whether you’re visiting Milan for the first or the thousandth time.

Another quote from Ponti that is particularly worth bearing in mind at this time of year, with all the Salone del Mobile events in full swing, is:  ‘In Italy, art fell in love with industry.  That’s why industry is a cultural matter.’

Of course, it is impossible to know how many of the exhibition’s over 300,000 visitors are familiar with, or even have a vague recollection of, Ponti’s theoretical ideas and insights. The fact remains that Italian design has continued to play a pioneering role on the world stage precisely thanks to the synthesis of form and function, the working of materials, and the evolution of construction techniques (and thus thanks to the ‘great masters of design’, from Ponti and Enzo Mari to Achille Castiglioni, Gae Aulenti, Carlo Scarpa and Franco Albini, and all those who came after them). Industrial design and everyday objects. Products that are part of our daily lives and enhance their quality. Not mere decoration, but art and industry.

The figures confirm this once again this year, despite concerns in the run-up to the Salone del Mobile (wars, transport issues, international tensions, etc.).  Over 300,000 visitors and more than 1,900 exhibitors from 32 countries spanning various sectors, including woodworking and mechanical engineering, came together to generate a production turnover of almost €28 billion, confirming the event’s status as a benchmark for the finest ‘Made in Italy’ products. These include mechanical and mechatronics engineering, robotics, the automotive sector, shipbuilding and aerospace, rubber and plastics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, food and furniture.

The green economy was also represented. The latest edition of the Design Economy Report, presented by Symbola, Deloitte, PoliDesign and ADI (Il Sole 24 Ore, 16 April), confirms that, as Realacci, president of Symbola notes,  Italy’s leadership in design reaffirms its role as the intangible infrastructure of ‘Made in Italy’ and puts it at the forefront of the global drive towards sustainability.

Thanks to events such as the Salone and others organised by Fiera Milano abroad, Milan continues to be a popular destination for students, designers, entrepreneurs, artists and media and photography professionals. And whilst the health of a metropolis can be gauged in many ways, it is precisely events such as the Salone del Mobile (and the international activities of the ADI, the Association of Industrial Design, with its ‘Compasso d’Oro’ awards) that serve as a barometer of the dynamic interplay between industry and culture, design and product, creativity and the development of various art forms.

Milan: a metropolis in the making, with all its limitations and dark sides. Nonetheless, it is a city to be studied, nurtured and lived in, balancing commerce and community life, cultural productivity and high-level education.

Milan: a work in progress. One of the city’s most iconic squares, the rectangular space between Via Pantano and Via Festa del Perdono right beneath Torre Velasca (another of Milan’s landmarks currently undergoing a transformation), has just been renovated.

Opposite Torre Velasca, the Assolombarda building, home to the business association, has also been refurbished and now features steel and glass façades and an internal garden. It was designed in the late 1950s by Gio Ponti himself.

And so we return to Ponti. A special exhibition space dedicated to his work will open by the end of the year, with 700 square metres devoted to his oeuvre, thanks to an agreement between the Lombardy Region and the ADI Museum. It will be a tribute to his memory. But also a lesson for all those who wish to continue visiting Milan to see how a city changes and grows, never forgetting its culture, and ever mindful of preserving its modernity, despite everything. Ultimately, Boccioni has been proven right:  ‘The City Rises…’

(photo Getty Images)

A book with contributions from various authors on Artificial Intelligence published

Like a pendulum swinging between extraordinary promises and insidious threats, between being a driver of efficiency and becoming a volatile frontier. This is how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is portrayed and presented to the public time and again. Extremes that often arise simultaneously must be properly understood and assessed in light of different circumstances. Therefore, the question everyone must ask themselves is how to navigate this swing. A question that concerns every aspect of society and the economy, and which is now deeply embedded in the fabric of social life and production.
Reading ‘Il pendolo dell’algoritmo. Sguardi multidisciplinari sull’Intelligenza Artificiale’ (The pendulum of the algorithm: multidisciplinary perspectives on artificial intelligence), edited by Ruben Razzante, which has recently been published, can serve as a useful guide to understanding AI.
The author explores this topic by engaging with senior figures from major companies, leaders of prominent associations, and academics and professionals from various sectors. These individuals analyse the pros and cons of AI, highlight enlightened approaches, offer rewarding solutions, and guide readers in understanding the digital transformations currently underway. Each contribution acts as a compass, helping to steer change across different yet complementary sectors. As mentioned, it also helps to build an interdisciplinary guide that transforms the algorithm from an unfathomable enigma into a catalyst for value.
In other words, Ruben Razzante’s message is that the informed adoption of AI algorithms can genuinely generate economic and social value, improve service quality, support more informed decision-making and boost competitiveness. However, the risks that require governance, expertise and a shared culture of ethical technology use must not be overlooked. However, the challenge we all face today is precisely this: how do we learn to harness innovation before it dictates and manipulates the fate of humankind?

Il pendolo dell’algoritmo. Sguardi multidisciplinari sull’ Intelligenza Artificiale
Ruben Razzante
Franco Angeli, 2026