(Finance) – Italian companies and Artificial Intelligence, this unknown. Although there is a wide debate in our country and despite its potential, theArtificial intelligence (AI) still remains poorly used by our companies, especially smaller ones: only 2% of our SMEs with at least 10 employees declares to have invested in IT between 2019 and 2021. This percentage rises to 10% considering the investment in AI together with that made in the technology that constitutes the basis for its adoption, i.e. Big Data.
This is what emerged during the work of workshop “Ecological and digital transition, employment policies and businesses” organized byINAPP (National Institute for the Analysis of Public Policies) in which the new data from the VI Business and Work Survey (RIL), conducted in 2022 on a representative sample of approximately 30 thousand Italian companies. This evidence then changes significantly depending on the size of the company placement geographical and the sector of activity. Suffice it to say that the share that adopts Artificial Intelligence varies from 1.5% in small companies (with fewer than 50 employees) to 12% of those with over 250 employees, from 7% in the high-tech services sector to 1.2% in less qualified services.
The results of RIL, a research project developed by Structure Businesses and I work coordinated by Andrew Riccisuggest that the diffusion of Artificial Intelligence, with all that it entails, is not only in its infancy but also reflects a strong complementarity with other digital technologies and therefore a substantial heterogeneity of our entrepreneurial system, confirming the urgency of governing this change to prevent it from accelerating even more inequalities productive And competitive that are registered in our production fabric.
“While in our country we are still discussing artificial intelligence between ‘apocalyptic and integrated’ – stated the prof. Sebastian Fadda, president of INAPP – the main competitors are convincingly investing in this area which is destined to improve production processes and work organisation. To date, the first gap that characterizes SMEs is undoubtedly the lack of culture and skills in the field: they know that Artificial Intelligence exists but they still don’t know how to use it to improve their performance. For many it is a question of starting from the basics, i.e. digital transformation and the use of “big data”. The combination with investments in training and related technologies necessary for the development and application of AI neutralizes fears about the destruction of jobs that could result.”
This is precisely the second evidence highlighted byRIL investigation. The analyses show that investment in AI by itself does not produce any significant effect on labor demand while when it is carried out in addition to investments in Big Data And Robotics, is correlated to a slight increase (+0.7%) in the share of jobs requested. In fact, AI is associated with a strong increase in professional training expenses financed by companies, even if we examine AI in the absence of the others technologies (+13%). This supports the hypothesis that – at least for now – AI transformation is proceeding more within companies (of their reorganization processes) than in the “market”.
“This is why it is essential to have one vision strategic which allows us to accelerate and strengthen business investments, strengthen digital skills from school to world of work and acquire greater awareness and knowledge of the potential of AI – concluded the president of INAPP – But the creation of an organic strategy requires a coherent system of incentives and strong coordination with the structural change policies of our production system. The Pnrr contains more than one encouraging signal in this direction, but a great effort is needed to implement it.”