Following the success of Bill Dally’s Lectio Magistralis, the CSP–IAS – Institute for Advanced Study programme continues at OGR Torino with another outstanding guest: Pietro Perona, a world-renowned pioneer in computer vision and machine learning.
Professor of Electrical Engineering at Caltech and Director for Information Science and Technology, Perona is one of the leading figures in the global AI debate, known for his scientific breakthroughs and his reflections on ethics, responsibility, and human-centered innovation.
The seminar, entitled “Correlation and causality in responsible AI,” will take place on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, at OGR Torino, within the cycle of meetings promoted by AI4I and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo to foster open dialogue between science, industry, and society on the future of artificial intelligence.
After the seminar, a roundtable discussion, “Disruptive Ideas and Applications in the AI of the Near Future,” will follow. It will be moderated by Vittorio Di Tomaso (Managing Director Data & AI – Jakala). Speakers will include Professor Pietro Perona, Professor Fabio Pammolli (Full Professor of Economics, Finance, and Data Science – Politecnico Milano, and President, The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I), Professor Riccardo Zecchina (Director of the Department of Computing Sciences and Full Professor of Theoretical Physics at Bocconi University), Professor Pierluigi Contucci (Professor of Mathematical Physics, Alma Mater Studiorum at University of Bologna), and Professor Marc Mezard (Full Professor of Theoretical Physics at Bocconi University).
The roundtable will offer an opportunity to explore the key challenges and opportunities linked to the evolution of artificial intelligence in the coming years
Event details
IAS Seminar #05
Correlation and causality in responsible AI
Pietro Perona
Allen E. Puckett Professor of Electrical Engineering; Director, Information Science and Technology – California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
OGR Cult, Turin, Sala Duomo
Tuesday, 25 November 2025
3:00 – 6:00 pm CET (registration from 2:30 pm)
Abstract
This seminar introduces the topic of Responsible AI with a special focus on bias and fairness. It explores the challenge of establishing causal links between key variables and algorithmic accuracy, arguing that current observational techniques fall short for determining causality.
An experimental approach based on generative image models is presented as a method for measuring bias, with demonstrations of its application in face recognition systems.
Programme
3:00 – 4:00 pm
IAS Seminar
Pietro Perona
4:00 – 4:30 pm
Q&A Session
4:45 – 5:30 pm
Roundtable Discussion
with Pietro Perona, Fabio Pammolli, Riccardo Zecchina, and others distinguished guests
