Oh dear, the number of Italian companies using it has doubled

The number of Italian businesses using artificial intelligence has doubled: over the past year, the figure has risen to almost 2 in 10 (19.5 per cent). The figures come from recent surveys by Unioncamere-Dintec, the Consortium for Technological Innovation set up by Unioncamere, Enea and the Italian Chambers of Commerce.

According to the report, over 50 per cent of large enterprises and 15 per cent of small businesses are adopting artificial intelligence, but a key challenge has emerged: at least six out of ten companies, although interested, are forced to abandon the idea due to a lack of skills. Many SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) are struggling to recruit or train staff capable of managing data analysis, system maintenance and the integration of AI into business processes.

“The real obstacle has a name: skills, not technology. 58.6 per cent of Italian SMEs cite a lack of digital skills as the main barrier to adopting AI, but only 7 per cent have launched structured training programmes on the subject,” explains Giuseppe Francesco Italiano, full professor of Computer Engineering and Vice-Rector for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Skills at Luiss Guido Carli.

Training, therefore, appears to be the most problematic area for the large-scale adoption of artificial intelligence in Italian companies.

The Unioncamere-Dintec survey findings will be presented and analysed during the second ‘Giornata del Mezzogiorno’, an initiative organised by the Bari Chamber of Commerce as part of the 89th Fiera del Levante in Bari.