Ross: Fastweb and Vodafone’s challenge to the big tech firms
An agent-based AI assistant designed to take over some of the repetitive tasks that fill our days
The idea of artificial intelligence as a tool for providing answers is now widely accepted. The new era, however, seeks to turn this perspective on its head: no longer chatbots, but digital collaborators. No longer tools that write an email, but software that sends that email, organises the calendar, books appointments, prepares documents, monitors information and even builds a website.
It is against the backdrop of this transition that ‘Ross’ – an AI assistant – was developed by Fastweb + Vodafone and launched on the market in recent weeks: its real aim is not to impress, but to take over some of the repetitive tasks that fill our days.
The difference is not merely technological. It is industrial. Because behind the new Ross product lies a clear vision of the role that Europe can still play in the artificial intelligence economy. In a market dominated by US giants, Fastweb + Vodafone is attempting to forge an alternative path based on national infrastructure, a proprietary cloud, Italian data centres and direct control over data.
CEO Walter Renna makes this clear. “With the launch of Ross, we have demonstrated that it is possible to innovate and offer agent-based AI services on the market, built on national infrastructure,” he explains. Telecoms companies can play a significant role in building genuine technological autonomy: they are the only entities that possess the critical resources – networks, data centres, cybersecurity platforms and expertise – needed to enable solutions that strengthen the continent’s competitiveness and geopolitical independence. Today, they represent the only concrete industrial lever at Europe’s disposal.”
That is precisely the key word: autonomy. Because whilst the value of AI lies in its language models, the economic power remains with the infrastructure that makes them work. It is here that telecoms companies are seeking a new identity, transforming themselves from mere network operators into integrated technology platforms.
