Young entrepreneurs in Lazio propose a pact for innovation and competitiveness through artificial intelligence
At the ARIA conference in Ponza, discussions centred on an alliance between institutions, businesses and universities to support start-ups and bridge the skills gap in AI
When it comes to innovation, young entrepreneurs are ready to play their part. That is why they are calling for a partnership based on shared responsibility to boost the competitiveness of new businesses: a stable alliance between institutions, businesses, universities, research centres and investors. This is the message delivered by Eugenio Samori, president of the Young Entrepreneurs group of Unindustria Lazio, from the stage at ARIA, the group’s conference – now in its fourth edition – dedicated to artificial intelligence: yesterday in Ponza, there were over 150 entrepreneurs and institutional representatives who discussed AI and its relationship with human capital.
During the now-traditional event in Ponza, Maria Anghileri, president of Confindustria’s Young Entrepreneurs’ Association, spoke: “Italia,” she said, “can play a leading role if it can bring artificial intelligence to the manufacturing sectors in which it already excels, from mechatronics to design. But this revolution rests on three pillars: energy, growth and skills. We need a stable and secure energy supply,” she emphasised, “to support energy-intensive data centres, businesses capable of growing on a European scale and attracting capital, and concrete action to bridge the skills gap. The decisions taken over the next 12–24 months will determine whether Italia will be able to seize this opportunity or will be left behind.”
Fausto Bianchi, president of Confindustria’s Small Industry section, noted in his speech that AI is “a strategic lever for helping businesses grow and strengthening the country’s competitiveness; it is not merely a technology. But without skilled people, widespread expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, it will remain an unfulfilled potential.” “For this reason,” he emphasised, “we will continue to support small and medium-sized enterprises and to call for concrete investment in young people, research, universities, start-ups and business expansion: because Italia’s future depends on the ability of the younger generations and our businesses to drive change.”
According to Giuseppe Biazzo, president of Unindustria, ‘the challenge is not the technology. It is our ability to make the most of it. The real limitation is not the software, but rather the human capital that must know how to harness it. For this reason – he reiterated – it is not enough simply to purchase artificial intelligence; it is our duty to support professional development with genuine, structured training, rather than ad hoc training’.
In his speech, Samori put forward, as mentioned, a proposal for a ‘Pact of Shared Responsibility for the Competitiveness of New Businesses: a stable alliance between institutions, businesses, universities, research centres and investors, with the aim of making Lazio a region of innovation and an increasingly attractive location for those wishing to set up a business’. The president of Unindustria’s Young Entrepreneurs’ Association clarified: “We want to become a point of reference for the entrepreneurs of the future and for the growth of innovative businesses that have already chosen the region. We must become a place where start-ups choose to stay rather than seek their fortune abroad, because they can already find everything they need right here in the region: a major international capital, areas with significant manufacturing potential, a unique knowledge ecosystem, and large companies with which to collaborate and forge strategic partnerships.”
