The growing interest of Italian businesses in artificial intelligence is opening a new chapter for innovation across the country’s industrial landscape.
While more and more companies recognize the potential of AI, significant challenges remain when it comes to identifying the most suitable solutions, selecting the right technology partners, and turning ideas into concrete projects.
These topics were at the center of the Masterclass held on July 1 at OGR Torino for professionals from the Toget Community, where Fiorenza Succu, Chief Evangelist at AI4I, discussed how the Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence for Industry supports AI adoption among SMEs and presented real-world examples of technology transfer.
AI4I: From Research to Industrial Adoption
During her presentation, Fiorenza Succu outlined AI4I’s operating model, built around three complementary pillars.
The first pillar is frontier research, conducted through the RDE Labs, where cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies are explored and developed.
The second pillar is the AI Foundry, the infrastructure that provides advanced expertise and computing capabilities—including the Peano supercomputer—to validate, train, and test new AI solutions in a high-performance environment.
The third pillar is SUK, the B2B matchmaking platform designed to connect companies seeking AI solutions with providers offering mature, market-ready technologies.
SMEs Want to Innovate, but Struggle to Navigate the Market
Data presented during the Masterclass paint an encouraging picture. In 2026, the share of SMEs not interested in adopting artificial intelligence fell to 31%, down by 11 percentage points from 42% in the previous year.
At the same time, 41% of companies report that they have not yet launched AI-related initiatives, despite expressing genuine interest in these technologies.
This highlights how the main challenge is no longer a lack of awareness, but rather the difficulty of navigating a rapidly evolving market characterized by an increasingly broad range of technologies, platforms, and providers.
To address this need, AI4I designed SUK as a structured pathway capable of supporting companies throughout their digital transformation journey.
Through a user experience specifically designed to reduce the main barriers to adoption, SUK helps organizations identify their needs, find the most suitable solutions, and establish collaborations with qualified providers, enabling effective matchmaking between industrial demand and technological supply.
The goal is to transform interest in artificial intelligence into real-world projects, accelerating the transfer of innovation into the productive economy.
From Proof of Concept to Tangible Results
The Masterclass also provided an opportunity to showcase a concrete collaboration developed with AI4I’s Deployment Unit.
The project involved a startup developing a proof of concept focused on the automatic detection of critical printing defects in the packaging sector. By leveraging computer vision and machine learning techniques, the solution achieved an accuracy rate of 97.3% in defect detection, demonstrating the potential of AI to improve quality control processes and reduce production errors.
This represents a tangible example of how collaboration between companies, startups, and technology experts can generate measurable value for the manufacturing sector.
AI MATCH: Training, Innovation and New Opportunities
During the presentation, AI4I also introduced AI MATCH, an initiative developed in partnership with the Turin Chamber of Commerce to help companies explore the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence.
The program involved 50 companies in a training pathway structured around three modules, culminating in the development of innovative projects that are expected to be implemented with the Institute’s support.
A selection process is currently underway to identify the 20 winning companies, which will receive in-kind services from AI4I to help transform their ideas into operational solutions.
At a time when the demand for innovation is growing faster than companies’ ability to navigate available technologies, SUK is proving to be a strategic tool for connecting industrial needs, expertise, and AI solutions, fostering faster and more informed adoption of artificial intelligence across the SME ecosystem.
