Reflecting on the spread of generative artificial intelligence technologies, analyzing their opportunities, challenges and ethical and regulatory implications. This is the goal of the Artificial Intelligence Forum, a festival dedicated to AI organized by the Municipality of Tavagnacco and DITEDI, in collaboration with SISSA. The 2025 edition will take place from October 17 to 19, featuring talks, debates, and opportunities for dialogue among academia, journalists and companies.
On October 17, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the P. Maurensig Immersive Theater in Tavagnacco, SISSA will host a session consisting of two round tables.
The first, “AI: Innovation and Territory”, will highlight the impact of artificial intelligence on the production system of Friuli Venezia Giulia, emphasizing the role of local institutions and innovation platforms in fostering an environment conducive to scientific and industrial progress. Speakers will include Angelo Montanari (University of Udine, Head of the Scientific and Technical Committee of iNEST – Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem), Ketty Segatti (Friuli Venezia Giulia Region), Matteo Faggin (SMACT Competence Center), Simonetta Greco (M.A.R.E. FVG), and Francesco Contin (DITEDI).
The second round table, “AI: University and Industry”, will focus on strategies for effective technology transfer aimed at promoting AI-driven sustainable development. Among the speakers will be SISSA professor Gianluigi Rozza, who will engage in a conversation with Carlo Urbanet and Michele Toppano (Electrolux), Gianfranco Marconi (Danieli), and Andrea Martini (FAST Computing).
Also on October 17, from 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the event “Artificial Intelligence and Space: Humanity at the Center of Exploration” will take place, led by professor Rozza with the participation of Amalia Ercoli-Finzi, one of the most authoritative figures in aerospace engineering and a former scientific consultant for NASA, ESA, and the Italian Space Agency. The meeting will explore the role of AI technologies in space exploration and foster reflection on the importance of the human dimension in space missions—understood as the ability to guide scientific progress with responsibility, vision, and ethics.
The festival will continue on October 18 and 19 with the Generative Cities Hackathon – “Generative AI Solutions for the Cities of the Future,” hosted at the Sala Feruglio. Young innovators, including members of SISSA mathLab, will collaborate to design original solutions for the smart cities of tomorrow, envisioning scenarios in which artificial intelligence becomes a tool for sustainability, efficiency, and quality of life.
More information is available on the website of AI Forum: www.ia-forum.it