Giovani Confindustria, Anghileri: a plan on AI is needed, now strategic choices

An Ital.IA 2030 Plan to strengthen the country's competitiveness because artificial intelligence is an "efficiency technology". Maria Anghileri, president of Confindustria's Young Entrepreneurs, cites data from the Bank of Italy: a rapid and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence could increase labor productivity by more than one percentage point per year. "It would be a turning point in a country that hasn't been able to make it grow for 25 years." It is a "challenge - said Anghileri - that we launch to all parties at the beginning of the electoral campaign. We will carefully analyze your plans to measure the share of the future. We need strategic choices, not electoral dividends. While we understand the calls for prudence on public finances, we hope that this does not once again translate into sacrificing young people and businesses."

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"StrategIA. The future is a human enterprise", is the title of the 41st conference in Capri of Confindustria's Young Entrepreneurs. The scenario sees Italy and Europe behind: «over 80% of the digital products, services and infrastructures used by the European Union depend on non-European suppliers. It is an unacceptable addiction. We don't want to become the digital waiters of the United States and China. We want to build our own European AI supply chain." A road that «can be followed and which passes through European technological sovereignty. The EU must do more and quickly. We need to build the European AI industry."

At a European level «a single capital market, the savings and investment union, the 28th regime were needed yesterday, not today», as well as a single energy market, «which Delors spoke about in 1988». Digital policy and energy policy are inseparable, Anghileri underlined. In Europe, the expected growth in data center electricity consumption exceeds 70 percent. According to Anghileri, energy is the mother of all emergencies. «We are tired of paying the most expensive energy in Europe. Young entrepreneurs consider themselves to be at a great disadvantage compared to their European competitors in terms of labor costs, bureaucracy and regulatory stability, in addition to the cost of fuel. Here, Italy's industrial survival and the purchasing power of families are at stake." Energy, nuclear power, artificial intelligence are the major country projects according to which the president of the Youth movement requires simplified procedures, a fast truck, also completing digitalisation in public administration.

And he launched a series of proposals: "every strategy is made of choices, let's start by choosing where to invest by forcefully uniting the public and private sectors." There are two paths: the first Industrial, Edge and Physical AI: «it means transforming our manufacturing excellence into technological leadership by increasing the value and competitiveness of the machines we produce». The second mission concerns artificial intelligence for sciences and life sciences.

As for the Italian strategy for artificial intelligence, it must become a concrete plan: Anghileri has mapped out a path: an implementation unit for artificial intelligence is needed, to encourage its adoption and Italy's ability to develop it. We need an AI Adoption Act that sets up research, incentives and infrastructure to support SMEs in particular: only 8% of SMEs have started AI projects. We need to create AI hubs: it would involve creating AI SEZs in which public and private capital invest together, with particular attention to start-ups and new young and innovative businesses. «Confindustria is on board, the largest and most structured companies will be able to have the role of leader», said Anghileri. Another project is 500 talents for AI: 100 people must be identified every year for five years, selected in fields in which we need to fill our gaps, from algorithms to robotics to cybersecurity. Furthermore, to address the issue of skills, a national alphabet of artificial intelligence is needed to give students and teachers a common base of knowledge. «Young people remain at the heart of all our strategies, the squares of France and Spain express the same demand: to be able to build their own future».