Technology

AI and Finance is the combination to promote humanism and SMEs

A high-profile conference was held in London, organised by the Consulate General of Italia and Quadrivio Group

12 March 2026

Un momento della tavola rotonda su AI: The New Frontier of Value Creation

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Quadrivio Group: investing in global trends
The impact of AI in society and the economy
AI as 'artificial child'

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a technological novelty, but represents a profound transformation that is redefining the social, economic and operational fabric of our lives. This is the main message that emerged during a conference organised by the Italian Consulate, led by Domenico Bellantone, and Quadrivio Group, founded by Alessandro Binello and Walter Ricciotti, which brought together experts, entrepreneurs and academics to discuss the future of AI and its impact on Europe and Italia.

Quadrivio Group: investing in global trends

The private equity group, with over EUR 2 billion invested, is a pioneer: it is the first in Italy to have launched a fund dedicated to AI, at a time when the adoption of artificial intelligence, throughout Europe not only in Italia, is still limited to 5% of companies. Quadrivio, in collaboration with Microsoft, aims to identify and support companies in the digital transformation that is now necessary and inevitable. It was Vincenzo Esposito, CEO of Microsoft Italia, who described AI as a revolution comparable to electricity or the Internet.

The impact of AI in society and the economy

Federico Marchetti, founder of YOOX Net-a-Porter, shared his experience: since 2016, his former company has employed AI to analyse customer data, reducing waste and improving sustainability. Marchetti also highlighted the potential of AI in enhancing human creativity, as demonstrated by the 'Modern Artisan' project, which combined consumer data with traditional craftsmanship to create successful collections.

However, Marchetti warned that, despite technological advancement, human qualities such as innovation, ethics and the appreciation of beauty remain irreplaceable. The central theme of ethics was the mainstay ofFather Benanti's speech: AI, made up of software, is redefining the concept of ownership and control, concentrating power in the hands of the companies that manage digital platforms. Today it no longer matters to own a mobile phone, even an expensive one, because the power is in the apps inside the phone that are not owned by the owner of the phone.

Benanti reiterated that ethics should not be seen as an obstacle to innovation, but as something that can create long-term value and trust. William Tunstall-Pedoe, the 'daddy' of Alexa, Amazon's intelligent voice system, emphasised the importance of trust in building thinking technology.

AI as 'artificial child'

AI pioneer Professor De Kai offered a unique perspective, comparing AI to 'artificial children' that learn from human behaviour. The guru warned that AI is not just a tool, but a system that mimics and amplifies human tendencies, including negative ones such as polarisation and conflict. He emphasised that the real existential risk is not the rebellion of machines, but the amplification of the worst human tendencies.

De Kai concluded that each individual has a responsibility to 'educate' AI through ethical and conscious digital behaviour, as the way we interact with technology today will influence its future development.

Opportunities for Europe

The panel discussion, introduced by Francesca Roni, partner of the Lifestyle fund and director of Quadrivio UK, discussed the opportunities for Europe in the AI era. Professor Alberto Sangiovanni suggested that Europe should focus on the application of AI in sectors such as agriculture, tourism and fashion, Alastair Moore argued that Europe should not give up competing for the development of fundamental AI models. Both agreed on the importance of combining AI with critical thinking and deterministic systems to ensure reliability and security. Academician Robert Elliot Smith pointed the finger at the biases that machine AI also suffers from. Luba Manolova, manager for Europe at Microsfot, focused on the concept of the Frontier Firm, the evolution that companies will undergo, while Fabio Boschi, head of Quadrivio's AI fund, emphasised that in AI more than technology the human factor is decisive, an aspect that can benefit Italia, whose economy is structurally composed of manufacturing SMEs.