“Artificial intelligence has become increasingly central, which is the reason why we have made it a priority on the agenda of the Italian G7 Presidency and in Europe. Its impact affects not only our lives, our societies, our economies, but also international relations and security strategies themselves.
Artificial intelligence confronts us with important ethical dilemmas, because of its possible negative impact on the labour market or its distorted use in the field of information. I am also thinking of the critical issue of cyber-security.
At the same time, artificial intelligence provides important growth opportunities for companies, for their competitiveness, and for the education, training and research system. It is therefore a potential engine of development, at which we should also look with particular interest for Africa, which is an absolute strategic priority for the government.”
These were the words addressed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, in a message read out by the Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, Sergio Strozzi, at the opening of the Conference Growing Together: Building Public-Private Partnerships to Boost the AI Revolution, which was held on 12 and 13 November 2024 in San Francisco at the Italian Hub for Innovation and Culture, INNOVIT. The Conference was attended by a delegation from the Italian G7 Presidency (as part of the G7 Industry, Technology and Digital Agenda) led by the Undersecretary for Industry and Made in Italy, Fausta Bergamotto. Consul General Strozzi also conveyed the greetings from the Italian Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, to the Conference participants.
Organized, under the auspices of the Italian G7 Presidency, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Ministry of Industry and Made in Italy (MIMIT) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the event provided an important opportunity for industry leaders, experts, innovators (particularly in the field of artificial intelligence – AI), investors and institutional representatives to meet and focus on how to optimise strategic collaborations and synergies between the public and private sectors to promote innovation and growth through emerging technologies. Within this framework, great attention was also paid to the sustainable development of the so-called “Global South” and Africa, in particular, in line with the vision underlying the Italian government’s “Mattei Plan for Africa”.
The event was also attended by Leila Elmergawi, Director and Senior Advisor of the Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technologies of the US Department of State; the UNDP Chief Digital Officer, Robert Opp, and CDP representatives.
Speakers included representatives from large US technology companies (Google, Cisco, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, HP, Amazon-AWS, etc.), Silicon Valley’s investors and venture capitalists, representatives from regional development banks and CDP peer financial institutions, other companies and start-ups from the G7 countries, the Consuls General of the G7 countries in San Francisco, and representatives from African academic and innovation institutions.
On the occasion of the Conference, thanks to the collaboration between UNDP, CDP and INNOVIT, the Italian G7 Presidency accompanied some African start-ups to San Francisco for an acceleration programme and a presentation to local investors.
Thanks to the high level of speakers and quality of their speeches, the event was a unique opportunity for a discussion between the innovation and technological development actors (public and private, from G7 countries and emerging countries, large companies but also micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups) on how to ensure that the new generative AI technologies could also benefit small economic actors, as well as the economically and technologically disadvantaged areas of the world.
Great appreciation was expressed by the participants for the project of the Italian G7 Presidency and UNDP Hub on Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development, officially presented during the Conference.
Photos by Enrica Cavalli:
