Panel presentation and networking event organized by the Canadian Chamber in Italy and hosted by LUISS EnLabs & LVenture Group, with the support of the Embassy of Canada to Italy and the participation of Nino Pace, Director Consulting Services CGI Italy, Jenny Izaguirre, Country Manager Italy & Spain Shopify, Dr. Amedeo Cesta, Research Director CNR-ISTC, Vice-president, Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence, Fr. Philip Larrey, Chairman Humanity 2.0, Chair of Logic and Epistemology at the Pontifica Università Lateranense & Author of Connected World, Nicolo Valigi, Co-founder AI Academy, Co-founder and software architect SleepActa and Matthew Lombardi, Senior Fellow at the Canadian International Council, as moderator.

Organized by the Canadian Chamber in Italy and hosted by LVenture Group and LUISS EnLabs, with the support of the Embassy of Canada to Italy, this event brought together leaders in various sectors to discuss the role of AI in our everyday lives, its advancements, the challenges, and its role in the global context.

Speakers
The moderator of the event was Matthew Lombardi, Senior Fellow at the Canadian International Council (CIC) and the speakers invited, in order of intervention, were: Nicolò Valigi, Co- founder AI Academy, Co-founder and Software Architect SleepActa, Fr. Philip Larrey, Chairman Humanity 2.0,
Chair of Logic and Epistemology at the Pontifica Università Lateranense and Author of “Connected World”, Nino Pace, Director Consulting Services CGI Italy, Jenny Izaguirre, Country Manager Italy and Spain Shopify and Dr. Amedeo Cesta, Research Director CNR-ISTC, VP Italian Association for AI.

Conclusions
AI has developed greatly over the years and is always more present in our society, products, and services. The importance of AI is understood. It allows businesses to be more efficient, its data assist in the decision-making process and it is capable of solving societal problems based on its technology.
The panel discussion, that represented sectors such as government, commerce, academic, and technology, all explained the advancements that AI has implemented to their business models. AI has helped the commerce sector to learn more about its customer behavior, for example. The common
idea discussed was that machines are getting better at communicating. When industries and businesses are faced with obstacles, the data that is required to move forward is easier to obtain thanks to AI. Many of the panelists also believe that this communication and partnership between machines and
humans is and will continue to be controlled by humans. Contrary to Hollywood films where machines replace human beings, the panelists firmly believe that the future of AI is unpredictable yet, humans will remain to be at the controls, ultimately deciding what outcomes they want from the machines. The theme of communication was one of the most essential discussions when considering the role of AI in the future.

The common idea of fostering the relationship between machines and humans was widespread throughout the discussion.

In today’s society, data and technology continue to be the most valuable assets.

The discussion was a call for people to understand the functionality and impact of these assets and create a relationship towards efficiency. As previously mentioned, data is the fuel for many businesses and governments, but what are the risks involved? Is our privacy at risk? Many examples such as geolocation, internet cookies, face recognition, and various mobile apps were all mentioned as tools for companies to track their end-user and study his/her behavior and actions. Like many aspects of AI, information as such has still not been understood. Various panelists question the real price of exposing personal data and mobile conduct. The need for an appropriate balance between privacy and policy must be implemented but at the moment, it is in the hands of the everyday citizen to take caution at any time that they connect to a mobile network and act accordingly.

Overall, the role of AI in promoting the development and its capacity to address current and future development challenges, allow businesses and governments a new strategy channel in a global context and contribute to high-performance efficiency. Due to its complexity, AI’s role in our future is unknown, however, it sets the stage for further cooperation between humans and machines, to understand where this technology can bring us and its impact on our future. Nonetheless, AI will never overcome the human decision-making process as logic, behavior, and feelings are not compatible with AI. Instead, AI will contribute to the decision-making process and advanced technology, contributing to developing societies and developmental obstacles.