AI opportunities and challenges: Ticino is ready to embrace them

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has brought about significant changes in our society, along with potential risks. Professor Luca Maria Gambardella, Pro-Rector for Innovation and Corporate Relations and Professor of Artificial Intelligence at USI Faculty of Informatics, as well as a member of the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence USI-SUPSI (IDSIA), discussed this at length in an interview published in the pages of the magazine Ticino Welcome.

In his interview, Prof. Luca Maria Gambardella emphasised that Ticino is an active canton in this field despite recent cuts in investments in artificial intelligence. "My perception is that there is a great buzz around these methodologies. We have the recent Swiss Innovation Park, with competence centres related to fashion and lifestyle, drones and life sciences, where artificial intelligence is central to many projects." Professor Gambardella also mentioned that, according to a recent study, Switzerland ranked ninth worldwide in the field of AI.

Numerous companies and research institutes are active in this field in our region. Among these is, of course, the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence USI-SUPSI (IDSIA). "To date, IDSIA employs 140 professors, researchers and PhD students," continued the USI Pro-Rector. "The latest interesting results, also involving local companies, pertain to the study of optimised policies for energy distribution, real-time analysis of pest images, support for defect analysis in the production of electronic circuit boards, and more."

In the last part of the interview, Professor Gambardella reassured readers about some of the most common concerns regarding AI, particularly the fear of it replacing humans or diminishing their mental capabilities, a scenario with which the Professor disagrees. "I have always supported the idea of a hybrid world where artificial intelligence assists individuals. Machines will increasingly be used to support decision-making, evaluate scenarios, and analyse real-time situations." The Pro-Rector reassured readers by putting the risks into perspective, highlighting the opportunities of new technologies, and emphasising that change is an inherent part of being human. Technological change, in this sense, is no exception. "All the generations I can remember, from my parents' to ours, have had to face and adapt to change. Fortunately, mother nature has equipped us with excellent capabilities in this regard as well."