In an age where human intelligence may be rivaled by its own artificial creations, technology and the ethical questions it raises seem ever-growing. From October 5-8, Pisa’s 2023 Internet Festival plans to offer a forum for examination and discussion of many of the hard-hitting questions in the internet tech community, as well as offering show displays on a variety of topics. The festival, opting to go by the keyword “artificial” this year, will have dozens of events hosted in more than 20 places across the city, sporting a cast of experts to give talks and demonstrations. Guests will include experts in robotics, experts in technology and innovation, humanists, artists, and personalities from the world of culture. Also on the program are several Tutorial Tours (T-Tours) for students.
Some headliners at the event will be philosophers Eric Sadin and Pascal Chabot, Alessandra Sciutti (one of the best-known technologists in the field of robotics), communication expert Laura Carrer, journalist Vera Gheno, linguist, essayist, and translater Oyidiya Oji Palino, Sabina Guzzanti, Carlo Amleto, among others.
One of the issues to be discussed during the festival is the recent Hikikomori phenomenon, a circumstance in which someone isolates themselves from the outside world and participates exclusively in online spaces. This and more will be examined at the Le Benedettine Conference Center starting on October 4. Other topics to be discussed that day include cyberbullying and the effects of drug addiction in Italy relating to the internet, similar issues plaguing the current youth.
An art exhibition will open at the Logge dei Banchi on October 5, featuring the display “Tra rischio e realtà digitale” or “Between risk and digital reality,” which aims to highlight risky behaviors among young Europeans from 1995 to 2019 with an expression of what the future may hold.
Cyber-work and cybersecurity will be covered on October 6. At the headquarters of the Pisan Industrial Union, a talk will be held titled, “Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence: The Metamorphosis of Work Cultures” by Daniele Marini. On the same day, journalist Marco Viviani will deliver the talk, “How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Businesses Artificial Intelligence Solutions: Strategy, Marketing, Human Resources, Research and Development.” Law on artificial intelligence will also be discussed. Guests will include Ginevra Cerrina Feroni, Vice President of the Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data, and Guido Scorza, a jurist and teacher in new technological law. (Daniel J. Capobianco)
For more information and the complete program, visit the website.