Artificial Intelligence a chance for productivity

'The market is driven by large companies,' Biffi explains, 'while SMEs still struggle. Yet artificial intelligence is no longer just a support tool, but a real strategic lever that is fundamental for promoting growth. With this in mind, we have set up ForgIA: the initiative, which is just getting underway, aims to accompany companies in this great challenge that is AI. Thanks to the project, we estimate that a 10% increase in the productivity of micro, small and medium-sized industrial enterprises in our area could generate an increase of EUR 2.4 billion in added value, equal to a 0.8 percentage point increase in GDP for the entire Quadrilateral economy. Even if we only assume a growth in the productivity of micro, small and medium-sized industries, on a national level, equal to +5% on average, the benefit could reach almost 9 billion euros, thus generating a stimulus equal to 0.4% of Italy's GDP".

'If you have not already done so,' adds Leonardo Committee vice-president and Ice Agency president Matteo Zoppas, 'if you have not taken the path of digital transformation in step with the times, your company may have an expiry date. You Leonardo Committee entrepreneurs have taught the world how your companies have been able to remain competitive and maintain market leadership through innovation that the market has continued to choose and prefer over your international competitors. This revolution, however, is changing every paradigm. The choice is to realise that this revolution does not start from the bottom. We don't have time to wait like we did with lean manufacturing and lean office, or with kaizen and digital transformation, because' they had to start from the bottom and go up waiting for physiological times. With this revolution, if the legs are pushing and the head does not know where and how to go, we will get nowhere.

"International competition," concluded the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, "requires an acceleration in the adoption of artificial intelligence tools and the cloud, both by large companies and SMEs, which represent the backbone of our production system. This is why Mimit has put in place targeted tools to strengthen digital sovereignty and innovation, from the AI4Industry Foundation in Turin to the IT4LIA AI Factory at the Tecnopolo in Bologna, from the financing of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti 'Artificial Intelligence' Fund to the drafting of the National Strategy on Quantum Technologies and that for attracting foreign investment in the construction of new data centres. A clear direction of travel, aimed at simplifying and speeding up processes, to support all the enabling technologies that are key levers of growth and competitiveness of the country system. Important in this context is the participation of an Italia consortium, which also includes Leonardo and Eni, in the European Commission's call for tenders that will award the first four European artificial intelligence gigafactories. This is an important objective that can be achieved if it is effectively backed by adequate European resources'.

The role of Assolombarda and the ForgIA initiative

The data produced by companies are infinite,' explains Stefano Venuri, 'but 70% is never used strategically. Hence, from the observation highlighted by Assolombarda's Special Advisor IA and Digital Transition, originates the commitment of the first territorial of Confindustria, which has started a path in this direction.

This is the project promoted to make AI the engine of industry and accompany companies in its adoption. The objective is to build an ecosystem of industrial data, particularly from the manufacturing fabric: an enormous heritage, today fragmented along supply chains, which can become a competitive lever if put into a system thanks to the commitment of significant partners, including Politecnico di Milano, Cefriel, MADE - Competence Centre, AI4I, IT4LIA AI Factory and Cineca. In order to fully implement ForgIA, Assolombarda is developing four programmes: ForgIA Industial data ecosystem: the programme that envisages the construction of a digital ecosystem capable of enabling the sharing and exploitation of data along industrial supply chains; ForgIA Accelerate: a path that supports homogeneous groups of companies in the concrete adoption of AI applications; ForgIA Academy: aims to disseminate the culture of data by promoting contamination and synergies within the ecosystem through dissemination, training and networking initiatives; ForgIA Leadership Initiative: a mentoring path designed to strengthen the ability of companies to exploit data and implement AI solutions, thanks to the shared experience of companies that have already embarked on this path.