Artificial Intelligence, record growth in Italy
6 out of 10 large Italian companies have launched an AI project
The Artificial Intelligence market is growing significantly. In 2023, it recorded a +52% increase, reaching a value of €760 million, after already registering a +32% increase in 2022 compared to the previous year. A large portion of the investments concerns solutions for text analysis and interpretation for semantic search, classification, synthesis, and document explanation or traditional conversational agents, while projects involving Generative AI are still limited to 5% (€38 million). Six out of ten large Italian companies have already started an Artificial Intelligence project, at least at the experimental level. Two out of three have already discussed the applications of Generative AI internally, and one out of four has started an experiment. These are the main findings presented during the conference "AI at the Center: News, Applications, and Rules", where the results of the research conducted by the Artificial Intelligence Observatory of the School of Management at Politecnico di Milano were unveiled.
Large companies lead the way
90% of the market in Italy is dominated by large companies, while the rest is equally divided between SMEs and Public Administration. The most significant share (29%) is linked to solutions for analyzing and extracting information from data (Data Exploration & Prediction, Decision Support & Optimization Systems). 27% is allocated to projects for language interpretation, both written and spoken (Text Analysis, Classification & Conversation Systems). 22% goes towards algorithms that suggest content to customers based on individual preferences (Recommendation Systems). 10% is dedicated to video and image analysis, 7% to Process Orchestration Systems, and 5% to Generative AI. Looking at the average spending on Artificial Intelligence by company, the leading sectors are Telco-Media and Insurance, followed by Energy, Resource & Utility, Banks, and Finance.
Pioneers, cautious adopters, and those "on the path"
The Observatory analyzed the maturity of organizations in their AI adoption journey, identifying different profiles. 11% are pioneers—companies that have achieved full technological, organizational, and managerial maturity in AI solution adoption. 23% are learners, with several projects underway but rarely using structured methodologies to manage them, often relying on standard or ready-to-use solutions. The remaining 66% are heterogeneous cases: some are "on the path" (29%), equipped with enabling elements but with few projects, while others do not perceive the topic as relevant and lack an IT infrastructure capable of managing large amounts of data.
The main challenges in integrating an artificial intelligence project
61% of large companies have at least one AI project in the experimental phase, while this figure drops to 18% among SMEs (+3 percentage points compared to 2022). 37% of large companies that do not currently have active projects plan to launch them within the next 12 months, with an increasing number of inspirational and training workshops on the subject. On the other hand, only 7% of SMEs are considering potential AI applications, and just 2% have concretely activated at least one experiment. "It is essential for the scientific community to guide the adoption of AI and Generative AI, seeking to avoid the phase of disillusionment that typically characterizes the adoption process of new technologies," says Nicola Gatti, co-director of the Artificial Intelligence Observatory at Politecnico di Milano and head of the CINI Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems Laboratory at Politecnico di Milano. In this regard, three main challenges currently affect AI: ensuring that AI systems' results are accurate (commonly referred to as robustness), ensuring that decisions made by these systems are explainable to humans (explainability), and certifying that AI systems comply with European regulations and that potential risks are mitigated. "At Politecnico di Milano, through the FAIR Extended Partnership, we are advancing research in Adaptive AI to address these challenges."
Impacts on the labor market
Almost all Italians (98%) have heard of Artificial Intelligence, and more than one in four (29%) have a medium-to-high level of knowledge about it. There is significant interest but also some confusion: three out of four Italians have heard of ChatGPT, but only 57% know the term "Generative Artificial Intelligence." One in four Italians also claims to have interacted with ChatGPT at least once. A significant 77% of Italians view Artificial Intelligence with concern, especially regarding its potential impact on the job market. However, only 17% are firmly opposed to the introduction of AI in professional activities. Certainly, the impact on the labor market will be substantial. In Italy, Artificial Intelligence has the potential to automate 50% of "equivalent jobs"—a change that has so far been minimally realized—considering that AI is more of a support role than a true replacement. However, over the next 10 years, the new capabilities of machines could take on the work of 3.8 million people in Italy. "When assessing the real impact on jobs, demographic projections must be taken into account, which, due to population aging, predict a gap of 5.6 million equivalent jobs by 2033. In this perspective," says Giovanni Miragliotta, co-director of the AI Observatory at Politecnico di Milano and the Polimi Artificial Intelligence Research and Innovation Center, "the possible automation of 3.8 million equivalent jobs seems almost necessary to address a growing problem, rather than a risk. However, only by paying attention to workers' new needs, training, and an equitable redistribution of benefits can society extract value from AI development."
Tesisquare and Artificial Intelligence
The study of the potential of Artificial Intelligence involves various levels and teams within Tesisquare. In line with its governance policies and Ethical Code, the company supports the responsible use of AI, being mindful of its opportunities and potential risks.
