Calegari: “AI can help every SME become more efficient — but we must move fast”
AI4I took part in the final ceremony of the “Chiave a Stella 2025” Award, organised by API Torino, Fondazione Magnetto, UniCredit, Confapi Piemonte, the Turin Chamber of Commerce, the University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Turin and la Repubblica.
The event, titled “Macchine che imparano – L’intelligenza artificiale, tra territorio, occupazione e industria”, brought together institutions, companies and the regional innovation ecosystem to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, production models and competitiveness across Piemonte.
Representing AI4I, Antonio Emilio Calegari, Director of the Institute, outlined how AI can support Italian enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized firms, as they face increasingly rapid technological change.
“Italy lacked an AI aggregator. AI4I was created to fill that gap.”
Calegari explained that introducing AI into industrial processes is both necessary and transformative:
“In Italy there was no aggregating point on artificial intelligence. One of our tasks is to stimulate the adoption of these technologies. They can serve any sector and any domain. So let’s use them, even if the transition is not easy. AI is not just ChatGPT, and only through these tools can we increase effectiveness and efficiency.”
He also stressed the strategic value of high-tech jobs for the region:
“Tourism plays an important role, but in macroeconomic terms it generates low added value. High-tech jobs bring higher salaries and profits and represent an important opportunity to raise the added value of our territory.”
A magnet for global talent and a bridge to local industry
Calegari noted that AI4I attracts researchers and specialists from the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and other countries, with the goal of developing skills that can then support all industrial sectors.
He highlighted the role of the SUK platform, designed together with Unione Industriali Torino, the Turin Chamber of Commerce and Piemonte Innova, which facilitates the encounter between technological solutions and the needs of local enterprises, many of which operate in traditional sectors such as automotive components, rubber manufacturing or professional services.
A technological revolution that requires speed and realism
Calegari emphasised that public initiative has played a key role in accelerating AI adoption in Italy:
“Every new technology brings a revolution that moves at a higher speed than the previous one. Whoever misses the train does not catch up. We need to move quickly.”
He added a note of caution:
“We must be careful with easy enthusiasms. Sometimes people speak superficially or hide enormous interests. But the benefits are undeniable.”
AI that understands data the way humans do
According to Calegari, the decisive step forward lies in the way AI interacts with information:
“We were used to computers that required people to adapt to them. The leap forward today is that AI understands data as we do.”
Examples already in use include predictive maintenance systems capable of anticipating failures and laser-cutting machines that autonomously adjust their parameters after recognising the material being processed.
About the “Chiave a Stella 2025” Award
The award celebrates the excellence of Piemonte’s small and medium-sized enterprises and is promoted by the region’s key institutional, academic and industrial stakeholders: API Torino, Fondazione Magnetto, UniCredit, Confapi Piemonte, the Turin Chamber of Commerce, the University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Turin and la Repubblica.
