According to Italians, isartificial intelligence an opportunity or a threat for our future? The elements to try and answer this complex question can be found in the results of the new Sustainable AI research, carried out by the Foundation for Digital Sustainability and presented last week during a dedicated online meeting.
The research shows how Italian citizens perceive the potential of this technology as a vector of sustainability in different sectors and, through theDiSI index – created by the Foundation – compares four different generations in this field: Generation Z (18-28 years), Millenials (29-44 years), Generation X (45-60 years) and Baby Boomers (61-75 years). In this way, the results help to understand the role Italians attribute to artificial intelligence in the construction of our future: from that in environmental and climate challenges to that in the future of work, passing through other strategic sectors such as health and tourism.
“Understanding the impact of artificial intelligence on society means understanding how different generations perceive, interpret and use it,” commented Stefano Epifani, President of the Foundation for Digital Sustainability.
“The results show that only one in ten Italians firmly believes that AI will have a strongly positive impact, while more than half adopt an attitude of ‘cautious optimism’. It is a suspended confidence, which varies in meaning more than in intensity: in young people it is curiosity, in adults prudence, in the elderly distance. This intergenerational reading invites us to consider digital sustainability as a cultural issue as well as an environmental and economic one. Investing in Sustainable AI means bridging not only the technological gap, but also the cognitive gap that separates those born into the culture of the algorithm from those who observe it from the outside‘.
AI and the future of work
One of the points at the centre of the Artificial Intelligence debate is the impact it will have on the world of work. The research shows that for as many as 64% of Italians – of whom 10% strongly agree with the statement – tools such as ChatGPT will have a negative impact on people, destroying jobs. And, contrary to what one might think, when comparing the different generations, there are no significant differences in the responses: Millenials (29-44 years old) are slightly more worried – 14% say they are strongly convinced – but overall the fear seems to be widespread, from the youngest to the oldest, although not always expressed with great conviction.
For the environment? Need to ‘compensate’
The relationship between artificial intelligence and the environment, in the eyes of Italians, also seems to be no less complicated. In fact, one in ten (10%) of respondents say they strongly believe that this technology will have a negative impact on the environment, because what is lacking is adequate compensation: in other words, the benefits it brings would not compensate for the energy consumption required to train the models and use them. Generation Z and Millenials are on the same wavelength, while the percentage of ‘pessimists’ drops slightly as age increases: from 9% of Generation X to 7% of Baby Boomers. A gap, again, not so significant as to indicate a clear correlation between the generation they belong to and the fear expressed towards the effects of technology.
Autonomous driving and safety: half trust
About four out of ten Italians (41%) say they agree little or not at all with the idea that artificial intelligence, applied to autonomous driving systems, can lead to a reduction in the number of accidents and thus to an improvement in road safety. Only about one in ten, on the contrary, strongly agree with the statement. Optimism increases among younger people: the percentage of those who say they strongly agree stands at 12 per cent and 13 per cent in Generation Z and among Millennials respectively, and falls by half in Generation X (7 per cent) and among Baby Boomers (6 per cent). Adults, perhaps because they are more accustomed to traditional driving systems, thus seem to be less open than young people to recognising the potential of innovation in this area. This does not mean that we are faced with blind faith on the part of young people. The latter, in fact, while demonstrating the greatest trust, are also the most aware of the risks: AI is recognised as useful, but only when it remains a tool at the service of man and not a substitute for his decisions.
AI to the test of Overtourism
More than 60 per cent of respondents agree that technologies such as artificial intelligence are useful in combating tourist overcrowding, but only 9 per cent strongly agree with the statement. A very moderate conviction then, with a slight peak only among the youngest – 15% of Generation Z – who are therefore slightly more optimistic about the potential of AI in a sector that is fundamental to our country. And considering that around four out of ten Italians disagree with the proposed statement, it can be said that although sustainability is often seen as a priority objective, AI is not yet widely seen as the most effective means of achieving it.
Digital health: the importance of the relationship
Twelve per cent of Italians are convinced that artificial intelligence can greatly improve the level of service in healthcare, and there is no particular difference in the generational comparison. Even with regard to digital healthcare, there is no shortage of concerns: 66% of those interviewed fear that the entry of technology in this area could lead to a depersonalisation of the doctor-patient relationship. In short, AI is accepted as a support, but not as a substitute: people want an innovation that can improve efficiency, but without sacrificing empathy and relationship.
A suspended trust
The research, therefore, clearly shows how that of Italian citizens towards artificial intelligence is a trust yet to be built, regardless of the sphere in which this technology is applied. “The report lucidly returns the image of an Italy in ‘suspended trust’: neither techno-enthusiast nor Luddite, but in search of a reliable pact with AI,” commented Giuliano Castigliego, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist and member of the Foundation’s Scientific Committee.“The question is not how intelligent the machine is, but if and when we are willing to give it epistemic trust. Generational differences do not boil down to the cliché ‘young for/old against. Gen Z shows openness but also fragility, Millenials are more polarised, Gen X and Boomers express disenchanted caution. In all cases, an intermediate band dominates: moderate trust, expectation, need for evidence and clear frames of use.
The final message is pragmatic: without shared frames (sustainability, responsibility, humanity), AI remains alien or persecutory. With clear frames and restorative practices, it becomes an ally. The challenge is not to increase parameters, but relational reliability: not to simulate empathy, but to deserve trust‘.