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Bocconi to Discuss Artificial Intelligence at the Wired Next Fest

, by Andrea Celauro
Riccardo Zecchina, Full Professor at Bocconi, will open the event on 26 May with a speech dedicated to the topic of AI and machine learning


A bit of Bocconi will be at the first day of the three-day Wired Next Fest. In its fifth edition, the festival dedicated to innovation has been organized by Wired Italia for 26-28 May at Giardini Indro Montanelli in Milan. On 26 May, a day dedicated in particular to students and the topic of artificial intelligence, the Director of Wired Italia, Federico Ferrazza, will start with an introduction, then the inaugural speech will be given by Riccardo Zecchina, Full Professor of Fundamentals of Computer Science at the Department of Decision Science at Bocconi University.

"I will explain what artificial intelligence is and what makes it different from AI ten years ago, when calculating potential was more limited and did not support today's automatic learning," explains Zecchina.

The speech will focus on machine learning, with one caveat: "Automatic learning does not mean creating robots that make decisions. Rather, it's software that programs itself through data analysis and is able to extract relevant information from a huge amount of data. For example, image recognition programs, or recognition of speech or writing."
All this will lead to a significant shift in perspective in the interaction between man and machine, both now and more so in the future. "What used to be impossible, due to technical limitations, is now possible. And there are multiple applications, from medicine to transportation to entertainment. All of this will have a huge impact on employment," says Zecchina, "though it's something that we shouldn't be afraid of."

Bocconi University's connection with the world of data science is very close. Riccardo Zecchina is part of the Bocconi Institute for Data Science and Analytics (BIDSA), a center that was created in 2016 to promote and conduct theoretical and applied research using modeling and analysis of large amounts of data. In addition, an undergraduate program in English at the University is dedicated to big data: the Bachelor of Science in Economics, Management and Computer Science (BEMACS), directed by Emanuele Borgonovo and created specifically to train professionals able to interpret data through the lens of economic models.

To attend the event, registration is required at this link

Here is the Wired Next Fest's full program

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