AI4I Takes Part in Africa–Europe AI Dialogue in Turin

The event took place at the United Nations campus of the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) and gathered more than 200 participants, including startups, companies, public institutions and international organisations. The programme featured pitching sessions, B2B meetings and matchmaking activities designed to facilitate collaboration between African innovators and European industrial ecosystems.

The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) was among the participating organisations. Antonio Calegari, Director of AI4I, attended the meeting and contributed to the discussions on how international cooperation, research infrastructures and industrial ecosystems can support the development and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence.

The initiative was organised by the AI Hub for Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ITCILO, the City of Turin, the House of Emerging Technologies, AI4Industry and the Unione Industriali Torino.

Discussions throughout the day focused on key themes for the future of artificial intelligence, including sustainable AI infrastructure, energy and climate systems, digital skills development and talent formation. Participants highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation models capable of connecting governments, research institutions, industry and innovation ecosystems across the two continents.

The event forms part of the broader framework of the Mattei Plan for Africa, promoted by the Italian government, and the cooperation between Italy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aimed at fostering technological collaboration and innovation-driven development between Africa and Europe.

Several African technology initiatives and startups took part in the programme, including Africa Compute Fund, AI Grid SOL, Artificial Intelligence Centre of Africa, Armstrong, Chestify AI Labs, DeepLeaf, Hasab AI, Rydlr Cloud Services and Africa Climate & Energy Nexus, presenting solutions in sectors such as agriculture, energy systems and multilingual artificial intelligence.

The Turin meeting also follows recent international initiatives dedicated to AI cooperation, including the Nairobi AI Forum held in February 2026, which launched the co-design of the AI 10 Billion initiative with the African Development Bank, UNDP and partners of the AI Hub.

Through its participation, AI4I contributed to the dialogue on the role of international partnerships, research capabilities and industrial ecosystems in advancing artificial intelligence applications that support sustainable development and economic growth.