The interview with Maria Anghileri

‘A plan and a ZES for AI to encourage investment’

An action plan that brings together the research sector, incentives and infrastructure

by Nicoletta Picchio

14 October 2026

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4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

“Artificial intelligence is the greatest revolution of the modern age. It has implications for work, businesses and society; it can enable our businesses – especially small ones – to make a very rapid leap in quality. It is a challenge that Italia must overcome.” Maria Anghileri, president of Confindustria’s Young Entrepreneurs’ Association, refers to a figure cited by the Governor of the Bank of Italy: with rapid and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, labour productivity could increase by more than one percentage point per year. ‘A crucial figure for a country like Italia, which must return to growth.’ AI will be at the heart of the Capri conference opening on Friday: ‘StrategIA. The future is a human endeavour’. “This technology can transform our capabilities, but how we use them remains a human choice. It is not a question of choosing between man and machine; it is more important to decide what we want to entrust to it, combining artificial intelligence with entrepreneurial intelligence.”

Our country is lagging behind in digitalisation and, consequently, in the application of artificial intelligence. How can we quickly catch up?

The reality in Italy is that small businesses struggle to adopt AI due to cost and training issues. Italia has adopted an Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which now needs to be implemented through concrete and targeted measures. Our proposal is an ‘AI Adoption Act’, an action plan that brings together the worlds of research, incentives and infrastructure, to be implemented through a steering committee that coordinates efforts for the adoption and development of AI in Italia. We need to create an ecosystem to support businesses adopting artificial intelligence; we are seeing this in the roadshow we are running as Young Entrepreneurs alongside Alberto Tripi, Confindustria’s special adviser on AI. There are many examples of excellence, but coordination is lacking.

Is it just a question of cost?

No, skills come first and foremost, so we need to invest in schools, universities and the ongoing training of workers. We then need to focus on business processes and invest in digitalisation. Small businesses often lack the resources required for a comprehensive adoption of AI that would lead to genuine business transformation. It is a very complicated process, but a necessary one.

How can we secure the necessary investment?

Our proposal, which we will launch in Capri, is to create ZES-IA to channel public and private investment into artificial intelligence, including through the use of specific financial instruments for start-ups and innovative businesses. These investments are to be channelled through a streamlined process, drawing on the model of the single Special Economic Zone (ZES), which has worked well in the South.

What picture emerges from the regions?

Various areas of application have been identified, including manufacturing, sustainable mobility and life sciences. Confindustria has carried out an analysis of best-practice examples of artificial intelligence applications, and more than 200 such cases have already been mapped across the country. It is extremely important to disseminate best practice and help entrepreneurs understand what has already been achieved and what results have been obtained. It has emerged that, to date, companies have been using artificial intelligence primarily to improve warehouse efficiency and for predictive maintenance. All of this has an impact on productivity.

So, can Italia capitalise on this revolution?

Absolutely, and the major challenge lies in Physical AI, where Italia can play a leading role. We must not try to catch up with the United States in the production of large models, but rather build and apply artificial intelligence in sectors where we already excel in manufacturing and which we export worldwide: think of mechanical engineering, mechatronics and the pharmaceutical industry. If we make these products even smarter, we can increase their added value.

The government is drawing up the Budget Bill: should some measures already be included in the budget?

Energy is the first – and crucial – issue, not least for supporting the development of AI, which is, by definition, energy-intensive. One need only look at the energy consumption of data centres. Therefore, increasing energy production and ensuring its cost remains competitive are, at the same time, factors that drive both industrial capacity and technological development. Furthermore, with young people in mind, we hope that our proposal for an Entrepreneurship Grant can be launched soon: it already exists in other European countries, such as Germany. A young person starting their own business initially has no income and should be able to rely on this grant for up to 12 months.

Young people are leaving: is this a way of keeping them here?

We also need to take action on wages. The only way to retain young people is through competitive pay. Our generation of entrepreneurs is particularly sensitive to this issue, and we are making every possible effort to achieve this. There are also various proposals aimed at restoring young people’s purchasing power; ours is a reduced income tax rate for those under 35: a gradually decreasing tax exemption during the first five years of employment, up to an income of 50,000 euros, ranging from 100 per cent in the first year to 20 per cent in the fifth. This could mean up to 1,000 euros more per month in the first year of work. This measure requires funding, but we regard it as an investment in the future. Young people are the best investment if we want to secure a future for our country.