Building a career in AI, navigating disruptive technologies, and balancing innovation and responsibility in an interview with Raffaele Gaito.
Artificial Intelligence can radically transform our world. Today, it is used to increase operative efficiency, to adopt sustainable technological solutions and shrink environmental impact, to support projects improving elements such as precision, speed and risk management.
Although the use is already widespread in everyday life, this technology is little known and, as often happens with what is not known, doubts and fears arise. To deal with the dangers resulting from improper use, the AI’s use must be supported by technical capabilities and follow precise guidelines.
Today we’re surfing with Raffaele Gaito, Professor and founder of Growth Program.
How to face the challenge of making AI learning accessible and understandable even for those without prior technical training?
Addressing the challenge of making AI learning accessible and understandable even for those without a technical background is a complex and significant task. To achieve this, it is essential to start with concrete and easily understandable examples, avoiding complex jargon and overly abstract explanations, which often occur among experts. Creating intuitive guides and video tutorials can help people familiarize themselves with key concepts. Additionally, using simple analogies related to everyday life can translate technical concepts into easily recognizable examples.
For me, the goal should be to instill confidence, showing that a degree in computer science or engineering is not necessary to understand and utilize these technologies. They are accessible tools that can improve and transform various aspects of both work and daily life.
Those who want to approach advanced technologies must keep in mind that, to make the most of them, the educational path must balance the technical knowledge necessary to benefit from their potential with an open-mindedness broad enough to ensure they are used in innovative ways.
Do you have any advice for those who want to pursue a career in AI and want to deepen their knowledge in this field?
I have several suggestions, but I’ll try to focus on those I consider most important.
For students who want to achieve a significant level of expertise in advanced technologies, academic training is essential. Pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics is a strong foundation. Nowadays, numerous programs in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning are also emerging to provide specialized knowledge in these areas.
Specific sectors, such as industrial automation, are increasingly integrating AI-based solutions to optimize processes, increase precision, and more. Therefore, it is crucial to invest in education to acquire the specialized skills needed to fully understand AI’s potential in the sector of interest and drive innovation.
It is necessary to know how to use the right tools and understand fundamental concepts such as programming, using languages suitable for one’s level of knowledge. Today, Python is particularly popular because it has easy-to-read code and is very versatile. In this field, studying subjects like linear algebra and statistics can help develop a solid foundation.
It’s important to get into the field early to put theory into practice. Participating in projects, even small ones, is essential for increasing one’s know-how and developing critical and creative thinking based on experience.
Moreover, AI is a rapidly evolving sector, and the key is to stay updated through various available channels: reading articles, listening to podcasts, attending webinars. People should explore, experiment, and apply these technologies to identify new opportunities.
How do you see the role of AI in the evolving work landscape and what skills do you think will become crucial to address future challenges?
I think about transversality. Specific sectors, as I said, will require increasingly technical and programming skills, data management and understanding of algorithms. I want to clarify that not everyone will have to become a technical expert.
Artificial Intelligence can do repetitive and complex tasks and with more precision, but people will be essential to analyze data, do the right questions and interpret the results in a broader context. So, it’s important to improve skills such as problem solving and strategic vision.
Also, high communication skills are often required. Translating AI data into business decisions or knowing how to explain the results to a non-technical audience is not easy and it requires notable comprehension, analysis and sharing skills.
Technology, particularly in the last years, is deeply and quickly transforming organizations. Having a far-sighted vision helps make decisions for the company’s future, but the ability to identify, evaluate and mitigate the risks linked to cyber security and privacy issues will be fundamental.
How can students and professionals prepare for a future in which artificial intelligence will play an increasingly central role?
In addition to the more or less technical skills mentioned above, I would certainly add continuous learning. The ability to understand that we always have the opportunity and the tools to keep learning is essential.
Today, there is no profession that doesn’t require updates during a career to deepen knowledge, due to changes or the introduction of new laws, tools, and technologies in the sector. This is also true for AI. Emerging technologies are impacting many sectors: healthcare, agriculture, art, education, and economics. Being driven by a curious approach to new knowledge can only bring benefits, fostering the stimulation to create innovation and value. To support this process, it is important to stay connected with other professionals, attend conferences, or join interest groups to discover new trends, receive feedback, and find support.
In organizations, it is crucial to create teams not only composed of technical experts but also multidisciplinary ones. As I mentioned, many vertical skills and soft skills derived from different experiences are necessary, ranging from engineering to marketing, from finance to project management, to tackle “problems” from different perspectives and enrich the decision-making process. Obviously, it is necessary to have knowledge of the subject, in this case AI, to identify quality technological solutions and the right direction to follow. This brings us back to the importance of promoting a culture oriented towards continuous learning.
What are your thoughts on the current state of artificial intelligence and its future potential? What emerging trends in artificial intelligence do you think are most promising or revolutionary for the future?
The current state of artificial intelligence is already quite mind-blowing!
We are at a stage where AI is demonstrating incredible potential thanks to advancements in fields like deep learning and natural language processing. We are already seeing the impact of AI in various areas, such as process automation, data analysis, and personalized recommendations.
Regarding emerging trends, AI today can revolutionize numerous aspects of the healthcare sector. The World Health Organization (WHO) itself highlights the possibilities of applying digital innovations to make activities of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases more precise, advance research activities, increase drug development, and strengthen the delivery and access to healthcare services in countries where they are barely sufficient or entirely absent. Deep learning algorithms can quickly analyze medical images, diagnosing pathologies with precision. Predictive models can help doctors plan personalized treatments, and drug discovery is accelerated by AI-based simulations.
Robotics and AI represent two main drivers for the growth of the technology sector, and the intersection of these two components is opening new disruptive scenarios. We are seeing widespread use in the industry: AI can optimize production and reduce downtime through predictive maintenance, which means significant cost savings. Machine vision and robotics systems can improve the quality and speed of production lines and make it more flexible and personalized.
Relating to transportation, autonomous vehicles are perhaps the most evident example, but AI can be used in many other situations. I refer to the vision of developing smart cities and smart nations. By optimizing public transport networks, it is possible to manage waiting times and reduce gas emissions into the atmosphere, leading to a reduction in environmental impact and an increase in quality of life. In the smart cities of the near future, technologies will be used to implement organizational structures through greater interactions between citizens and institutions, aimed at improving resource allocation, obtaining feedback and feed forward on public administration management, and becoming energy sustainable. In Italy, the Smart City Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano has noted a market growth in the last two years but with a slow rate. It reached 1 billion euros in 2023, but in 2022 it was 900 million euros. This suggests that there are still many areas that need to implement such projects.
What are the main challenges limiting AI adoption and how can they be overcome?
There are several issues to address to overcome the challenges associated with the application of emerging technologies.
The first issue concerns investments. AI systems require infrastructures, such as cloud computing, with excellent processing capabilities and ample storage space to process the enormous amounts of information. Inadequate and outdated infrastructures limit performance.
By filling the skills gap, another danger could be avoided, namely that of falling behind other countries in the digitization process. The implementation of these technologies is the future and managing them must become one of Italy’s priorities.
The progress trend is certainly linked to control policies and restrictions that vary across different geographic areas of the world. In Europe, the adoption of these technologies is influenced by a strong regulatory framework, the GDPR, which focuses on the protection of personal data and privacy. On one hand, it may slow down the application, but on the other hand, it ensures responsible activity.
What are the ethical and social challenges of the widespread adoption of AI and how should they be addressed?
We are facing a duality: the most fascinating aspect of Artificial Intelligence is its potentially limitless capabilities, but this is also what scares us the most.
The concerns are linked to the fact that improper use could lead, for example, to the spread of fake news. The research conducted by the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that in the past year, the use of AI has increased misinformation by 130% through the circulation of false news. We can refer to a recent case involving electoral deepfakes in the United States, where images that did not reflect reality began to proliferate. Thus, tools with enormous innovative potential become vehicles that undermine public trust. To limit these episodes, several organizations have developed platforms capable of detecting when news is artificially produced. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed an AI-centered system that can verify the authenticity of news with 70% accuracy by comparing various elements such as the language used and the historical context.
Another common fear concerns privacy violations and the dissemination of personal data. This could occur due to the misuse of certain technologies. To address this threat, technical training for professionals and the implementation of cybersecurity networks are necessary, but it is also crucial to follow the regulations provided by relevant organizations. The WHO, together with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has established the Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health, with the goal of defining best practices to follow, considering risks and opportunities.
When using Artificial Intelligence tools, it is essential to integrate rules, controls, and continuous training.
What are the prospects for the interaction between AI and other emerging technologies such as robotics?
Regarding robotics, it should be noted that AI is already enhancing the capabilities of robots, allowing them to perform complex tasks with greater precision and adaptability. In the future, the integration of AI in robotics could lead to autonomous robots that can learn and adapt to changing environments in real-time, improving automation in factories, warehouses, and home care.
We’ve already seen some of this with recent announcements from Boston Dynamics, which recently unveiled New Atlas, an improved version in terms of strength and new movement capabilities of the humanoid robot developed in 2013. It stands out for its promise to surpass human capabilities, thanks to sophisticated AI algorithms. The startup Figure signed an agreement with BMW Manufacturing in January to integrate Artificial Intelligence and robotics into automotive production. Tesla released a video of Optimus, the robot capable of folding shirts and replicating human movements fluently.
What is your message to those who are skeptical of AI or fear its implications for the future of society?
I believe we are facing a revolutionary moment for humanity and the future of society. Few things in history have had this weight: electricity, movable type printing, the arrival of computers in our homes, the internet, and a few others.
But I am convinced that AI will have a much more disruptive impact than all the others. It can offer incredible opportunities if managed well, and to those who are skeptical, I would say to look beyond the sensationalist headlines and try to understand this technology more deeply.
Raffaele Gaito, after graduating in computer science with an interdisciplinary thesis and continued subsequent studies, is a growth coach, author, speaker, and blogger. For years, he has been engaged in experimentation and innovation. Among the many publications and projects developed, in 2012 he won the National Innovation Award. Today, he is also a Professor at the Business School of Il Sole 24 Ore and a speaker at the main Italian conferences on digital and innovation topics.
He founded two academies: Growth Program for entrepreneurs and professionals who want to continuously train in digital skills and soft skills, and IA360 for those who want to stay up to date in the world of Artificial Intelligence. He is an educator on growth, innovation, and AI topics also through a blog, a YouTube channel, a podcast, and a newsletter.
