Manifesto for collective action on artificial intelligence and robotics: who are the signatories
Last March, during the inaugural conference of RomeCup 2024, the scientific director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale Alfonso Molina presented the Manifesto for collective action on artificial intelligence and robotics, an invitation to form a strategic alliance to work together on 10 concrete actions that will allow our country to move towards a development that focuses on the skills and work of young people and the commitment to prevent the creation of further inequalities, exclusions and poverty.
Since then, the Manifesto has received new endorsements that strengthen the collective commitment to face the challenges and opportunities related to technological transformation.
We hope that the Manifesto can become a point of reference for the country’s digital future, promoting a shared and inclusive vision of technological development.
Here are the current signatories:
Cesare Avenia, President of the LM Ericsson Foundation
Raffaele Barile, President of the Italian Association of Mechatronic Automation (AIdAM)
Antonio Bicchi, President of I-Rim
Giuseppe Carbone, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria
Daniele Carnevale, associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Engineering, Tor Vergata University
Massimo Canonico, full professor, Department of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont
Alessio Carignola, CEO of Alca Technologies srl
Marco Carricato, full professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna
Mihai Dragusanu, researcher, University of Siena
Linda Lastrico, researcher, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Paolino Madotto, CEO of Intelligentiae srl
Eric Medvet, associate professor, Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste
Emanuele Menegatti, Full Professor of Computer Engineering, University of Padua
Alfonso Molina, Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS and Personal Chair in Technology Strategy at the University of Edinburgh
Giovanni Muscato, Full Professor, Director of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Catania
Karen Sylvie Nahum, General Manager of the Publishing and Digital Area of the 24 Ore Group
Rocco Oliveto, Full Professor, Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise
Federica Pascucci, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Aeronautical Technologies, Roma Tre University
Diego Reforgiato, full professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Cagliari
David Scaradozzi, researcher, Department of Information Engineering, Polytechnic University of the Marche
Bruno Siciliano, full professor of Automation and Robotics, Federico II University of Naples
Valeria Seidita, associate professor, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, University of Palermo
Gabriele Sepio, lawyer, partner of the e-Ius firm
Andrea Trivella, full professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Polytechnic of Turin
Around 50 authors contributed to the report, including Mirta Michilli, in an interview on schools and universities, and Alfonso Molina, with a contribution on service innovation. We share their contributions and the link to download the entire publication. Enjoy reading!
SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY.FORMING THE SKILLS OF THE PA OF THE FUTURE
Interview by Giovanna Stagno, Head of Tenders and Conventions FPA with Davide D’Amico, Director General for Digital Innovation, Simplification and Statistics of the Ministry of Education and Merit, and Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale
SERVICE INNOVATION The digital transformation of the Public Administration (PA) is not a purely technological issue and cannot be limited to the automation of obsolete processes. It must be rethought as a complex process of civic and social innovation, supported by advanced control and monitoring tools, capable of measuring in real time the concrete impact of changes on people’s lives. by Alfonso Molina, Personal Chair in Technology Strategy at the University of Edinburgh and Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale pages 133-135 [read the article in pdf]
Christmas Party 2024: Stories of Change and Digital Inclusion
On Monday, December 16, we celebrated Christmas with our community at Binario F, which welcomed us for a second consecutive year.
“Community Faces and Voices” is the title we gave to an open and engaging conversation – which was broadcast live and is available as a podcast – between Michele Gerace, innovator and science communicator, and Alfonso Molina, Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Personal Chair in Technology Strategy (University of Edinburgh), and individuals who have had first-hand experience of the social value of the initiatives promoted by FMD.
From senior centres to schools and the the world of work and volunteering, the event highlighted how technological development, supported by inclusive training programmes, can provide concrete opportunities for everyone. The experiences of Concetta Di Giacomo, President of the “Casa dell’Amicizia Esquilino APS” Elderly Centre, Massimo Pescatori, a teacher at the Volterra High School in Ciampino (Rome), Sonia Ionta, who is looking for employment (Project SWAT), and Massimiliano Dibitonto, UX Manager at Olivetti (skills volunteering) provided authentic stories of empowerment, educational innovation, and solidarity.
With a final look to the future, Alfonso Molina outlined the vision of an inclusive knowledge society in which no one is left behind. The exchange ended with a concrete invitation to follow the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and continue building new opportunities for digital and social growth, together.
Before opening the doors to the community, the FMD staff, together with the digital civil service volunteers, gathered for a moment of restitution. “We reviewed our year in 20 words that represent the moments spent together and a year full of challenges and achievements,” explains Alberta Testa. Each employee commented on the year that is about to end with a significant word and phrase. A choral story that the generative AI defined as “a mosaic of intertwined values, reflecting the very essence of this Foundation, whose strength lies not only in what is done, but in how it is done: with passion, with dedication and with a shared vision.” In short, “not just the story of a past year, but a promise for the year to come.”
An important recognition came from our Scientific Director, Alfonso Molina, who reminded us that “not only what we do, not only how we do it, but also who we are, who you are, makes this organization great.”
It was very nice to see ourselves through the eyes of those observing us from the outside. “Voices from the Community” describe us as a close-knit and joyful team and our president, Renato Brunetti, pointed out that he was proud of us and our work, of being part of this “invincible team.”
A day full of ideas, a window on the human value and social impact that we generate. Smiles, hugs and even wild dances sealed an invisible pact between us and our community and confirm a fact: the human factor is the greatest driver of social change.
Alfonso Molina speaks at the Italian Innovation Summit
School used to provide the basic skills for professions that were often carried out throughout one’s working life. Now, a young person who obtains a diploma or a degree does not even know exactly what or even how many professions they will have in the future. And their preparation can quickly become obsolete. The answer is lifelong learning.
Yesterday Alfonso Molina, Personal Chair in Technology Strategy at the University of Edinburgh and Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, participated in the Italian Innovation Summit, an event organized by 24 Ore Eventi in collaboration with Microsoft at the Assolombarda “Giorgio Squinzi” Auditorium. In the panel on “Solutions for Business – Accelerating Training to Bridge the Gap with the Most Advanced Countries,” Molina conversed with Luca Orlando, journalist for Il Sole 24 Ore.
“Obviously this is a very important and complex issue, as it is about creating a culture of lifelong learning,” explained Alfonso Molina. “This requires a systemic transformation, starting with the transformation of teaching in terms of skills. And learning must increasingly include the dimension of value because with artificial intelligence ethics is starting to acquire a very important value. For lifelong learning we use a systemic approach, involving many stakeholders, starting with schools. Our projects are based on vertical groups that vary from the comprehensive institute to universities and companies. One example is Smart & Heart Rome organised in schools in the suburbs of Rome the capital, where we have designed and created Innovation Gyms, innovative learning spaces, addressing issues ranging from robotics to virtual reality […]”.
Alfonso Molina alt the Italian Innovation Summit in Milano on December 11.
The Italian Innovation Summit will be held on December 11 at Assolombarda’s “Giorgio Squinzi” Auditorium in Milan. The summit is organised by “Sole24Ore Eventi” in collaboration with Microsoft.
“Thanks to the addresses by institutional decision-makers, experts in various sectors, and representatives of industry, as well as the presentation of business case histories, the event aims to provide a complete overview of the current state and outlook of the digitalisation of public administrations and businesses and serve as a practical guide for all SMES seeking to innovate in an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable manner.”
The event will also address training as a key element to bridge the skills divide. The Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, Alfonso Molina, will address this in the panel dedicated to “Solutions for Business. Accelerating on Training to Bridge the Gap with the Most Advanced Countries,” moderated by Luca Orlando, journalist, Il Sole 24 Ore.
Rock Night Show with Michele Gerace on Radio Godot.
As part of the Bar Europa radio programme, Michele Gerace held a conversation with Director General Mirta Michilli and Scientific Director Alfonso Molina on various issues related to the mission of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, addressing digital inclusion, youth education, and support to fragile citizens as a means of developing a “democratic knowledge society.”
A particular focus was dedicated to the issues of the democratic access to technology, which has become more accessible thanks to intuitive interfaces such as generative AI prompts that simplify the use of natural language for activities such as coding. Both Molina and Michilli highlighted how a process of democratisation requires a “true and profound” access and how essential technological “culture” is to allow a conscientious use of these resources.
During the course of the interview, Michilli and Molina addressed the value of partnerships with businesses, especially large companies, explaining how skills and know-how can be a benefit to society and workers. FMD acts as an intermediary between companies and citizens, especially through company volunteering, which allows personnel to share their skills with a community, thereby contributing to its collective wellbeing and aligning company values with social objectives.
In conclusion, the Theory of Personal Ecosystems was brought up. This theory reflects on how each individual is influenced by their personal and social environment. And this issue is fundamental to FMD as it represents the starting point for personal growth and self-development. Alfonso Molina briefly described the Personal Ecosystem Canvas, one of the tools he developed for personal development.
At the end of the conversation, Mirta Michilli launched the Chilean song Gracias a la vida (1971).
The interview was broadcast last Friday as part of the Rock Night Show Programme on Radio Godot. You can listen to the entire episode on Spotify or through the link below.
Alfonso Molina, our scientific director, participated in a round table (Oct. 9, 15:00) with Stefano Moriggi, Professor of Digital Citizenship and Director, PLAiCE, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia; McLuhan Foundation (Toronto); Mario Pireddu, Professor of Technology for Education and On-line Learning, University of Tuscia, Viterbo; Maria Ranieri, University of Florence, Professor of General Didactics and Special Pedagogy, Director of the Education Technology Laboratory ; Renata Maria Viganò, President, SIRD, Professor of Pedagogy, Catholic Sacred Heart University. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
“The present, which is characterised by a rapid digital acceleration and global challenges such as climatic change and an ageing population, requires systemic and collaborative answers,” points out Alfonso Molina. “This is what we tried to do with Project Smart&Heart Rome: provide systemic solutions to change by involving all social components in active collaboration. Technology must be integrated with what already exists through a cultural process. In the seven areas in which the programme is implemented, we developed Innovation Gyms based on the principle that sustainability is a holistic concept that concerns individuals, the planet, and all of society.”
Stefano Moriggi, paraphrasing Plato, highlighted that a cultural approach overcoming stereotypes and extreme behaviour is necessary to adopt innovation. “More than placing mankind at the centre, we must understand that our lives and relations must be reviewed. Indeed, the Copernican Revolution taught us that man is not necessarily at the centre of everything. We must keep in mind the wellbeing of the entire planet.”
A large part of the debate was dedicated to the relation between teaching and artificial intelligence: “the polarisation between massive adoption and refusal to use AI must be overcome. As for all new media, AI is currently demonised, as once were cartoons, television, … However, the role of school is to reflect and study all new technology to understand it without fearing it. We must allow students to understand how AI works and how it differs from mankind,” declared Mario Pireddu.
Maria Ranieri, in videoconference, addressed design in didactics that “drives us to conceive interesting and pleasing content for schools. It’s the object of learning design: stimulating teacher’s to study now to increase student involvement. Nowadays, classrooms must increasingly be conceived as labs.”
Maria Viganò emphasised continuous learning as a key to allow teachers to understand cultural challenges and give renewed dignity to their role in our country.
The day – indeed, the entire conference – concluded with an institutional debate opened by Antonello Giannelli, ANP President, who identified possible interpretative keys. “All the stimuli provided by this two-day conference converge towards the idea that school must overcome the old rules, an antique one-hundred-year-old conception riddled with issues, such as school dropouts.
MP Maria Elena Boschi placed the accent on the lack of autonomy experienced by school administrators, who would suffer a partial reform: “Administrators must be servant leaders, they must guide both the school and social community. We cannot think that school alone can make up for issues at home, in society, at Church. It must be integrated into a collaborative system.”
“Orientation does not mean attending school fairs and roaming between stands representing universities,” explains Paola Frassineti, Undersecretary of State, “but rather developing courses that will stimulate the emergence of talent in each student.”
Valentina Aprea, Education Manager for Forza Italia, concluded the reflection by pointing out “in the parable of the wedding at Cana Jesus said that we cannot mix old and new wine. I say that we cannot simply provide school with innovative content but an old conception. We need to change route. We need to learn to use new technology because students will live in a new and different Italy. We need to education an old country like ours to transform and leave no young person behind.”
In his contribution, Prof. Molina reflects on the objective of education and the characteristics of the challenges currently faced by schools. “We live in an age of great acceleration, largely caused by the velocity and pervasiveness of digital tools, but also by global challenges such as climate change and an ageing population. This complex scenario exerts a constant pressure on schools to innovate and change, in all areas” explains Prof. Molina. “Today, the choice of both physical and virtual educational technology is practically unlimited and constantly evolving (from on-line platforms to non-digital tools, new classrooms, and school infrastructure). This diversity must be accompanied by a wide range of didactic approaches and content with the potential to significantly improve the quality and involvement of students, teachers, and school personnel. However, motivation, creativity, and innovation at school do not only depend on the availability of tools, as change must develop from what already exists in the classrooms, schools, and educational system in its entirety. These are the existing challenges: economic, cultural, political, and demographic.” In this context, Prof. Molina places the educational challenge within the metaphor of “life journey” in the 21st century, exploring both travellers and the areas they travel. The contribution concludes with the concrete experiences that have been developed by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale in various areas to promote a form of education that is both active and oriented towards holistic sustainability.
15.05 | Round Table A School Education Addressing the Today’s Technological and Cultural Challenges
Stefano Moriggi, Professor of Digital Citizenship and Director, PLAiCE, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia; McLuhan Foundation (Toronto)
Mario Pireddu, Professor of Technology for Education and On-line Learning, University of Tuscia, Viterbo
Maria Ranieri, University of Florence, Professor of General Didactics and Special Pedagogy, Director of the Education Technology Laboratory
Renata Maria Viganò, President, SIRD, Professor of Pedagogy, Catholic Sacred Heart University
Alfonso Molina, co-founder and Scientific Director, Fondazione Mondo Digitale
An event organised by the ProPart Master’s Course at the Innovation Gym
“Innovating Italian school is a great challenge at the systemic level,” explains Scientific Director Alfonso Molina, who rapidly traces an efficient map of the actions implemented over more than 20 years to promote inclusive schools by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
The scientific coordination meeting for the seminar, which was held last Friday at the Rome Innovation Gym, is directed by Stefano Simoncini, Luca Brignone, and Alfonso Molina, with the support of Stefano Rollo.
Thanks to the contribution of experts, the seminar addressed the following key issues of the digital age:
Digital platforms and their impact on society
Proximity as an added value in the age of global connection
Active participation for a more inclusive and sustainable democracy
For more information: https://www.mondodigitale.org/en/news/platforms-proximity-and-participation
Presented at RomeCup by Scientific Director Alfonso Molina
Today, at the inaugural conference of RomeCup 2024, the Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, Alfonso Molina, presented the “Manifesto for Collective Action on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics,” an invitation to form a strategic alliance and work together on 10 concrete actions that will allow our country to advance towards a form of development based on skills and youth, so not to create further inequality, exclusion, and poverty.
MANIFESTO FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ROBOTICS
Premise The rapid development of AI and its convergence with robotics are both a historical opportunity and an unprecedented challenge with a still unpredictable social impact. Besides the mismatch between job supply and demand, we are facing an even greater divide: the profound distance between our understanding of the scenarios in which we live and the complex technological transformation.
The Manifesto is a call to action for organisations and individuals to collaborate on a long-term collective initiative based on the following principles:
• Strength in numbers • Skills excellence drives leadership • Focusing on youth guarantees a long-term perspective on work, education, and the future of the country • Inclusion and equality guarantee that the beenfits of AI and robotics will be enjoyed by everyone, avoiding further inequality, exclusion, and poverty
PRIORITY ACTION
FAIR ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY – Developing a medium- and long-term Italian initiative guaranteeing maximum inclusion and the reduction of any inequality.
SHARING – Promoting collaboration and the exchange of information between organisations, individuals, and areas in the country, Europe, and worldwide.
EDUCATION – Developing multidisciplinary didactic resources to improve the technological education of youth at all educational levels, with a special focus on gender equality.
DIDACTIC INNOVATION – Providing teacher training with innovative didactic tools that will also be useful to understand the global challenges related to new technology.
ORIENTATION – Supporting interconnected work, university, and school orientation projects to contrast educational poverty.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING – Promoting orientation and training activities for the development of qualified skills.
RESEARCH – Supporting young researchers working on advanced technological solutions for the sustainable development of the planet and humanity.
LIFELONG WORKER TRAINING – Investing in orientation and continuous training activities for workers, especially those in fragile conditions or at risk of losing their jobs.
SPECIAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES – Promoting programmes, services, and technological solutions for individuals with special needs and/or disabilities.
COMMUNICATIONS –Informing and raising the awareness of public opinion on the benefits and potential risks of technology through a clear, transparent, and accessible language.
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