Perspectives on AI adoption in Italy, the role of the Italian AI Strategy

Abstract

Abstract The Industrial landscape in Italy is characterized by small medium enterprises. The information technology sector is teaming with a broad spectrum of players from smaller ones up to large system integrators that have access to the most advanced technologies. The present paper aims at analysing the recently published Italian AI Strategy framing it within the context of the Italian IT industry. It references to data gathered in a small scale survey on AI adoption of Italian IT companies, and provides an analysis of the Italian AI Strategies focusing on the risks that its implementation will have to face and eventually draws three different scenarios on AI adoption in the Italian productive system. The Italian industrial landscape witnessing a growing adoption of AI-enabled solutions, mostly driven by cost efficiency consideration. There are, however, the first indication of leveraging AI to increase the offer portfolio, generating more revenues. New technologies supporting AI in the small, embedded AI and distributed AI come handy in leveraging those data. A concurrent push of the Italian Government to foster AI and to promote standardization and sharing of data (GAIA-X initiative—Italian Regional Hub) will provide further steam to the increased adoption of AI. The paper is structured in the following sections: “Introduction”, “Trends in AI adoption in the industrial context”, “An AI Policy for Italy: commenting on the Italian AI Strategy”, “Future Scenarios” providing a pessimistic, realistic and optimistic views, “Conclusions”.