Will robots and artificial intelligence replace us?

The ethical and cultural challenge of robotics in the book by Maria Chiara Carrozza

16th November 2017 – Robots and work: a relationship in which much will depend on how much school and university have done in recent years to meet the challenge coming from world of robots and artificial intelligence. The robot revolution as an opportunity for the future was at the center of the presentation of the book by Maria Chiara Carrozza “Robots and Us” atUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma last November 9th. The president of Inail Massimo De Felice spoke together with the deputy and teacher of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa, Giovanni Leonardi (general director of Research and Innovation in Healthcare of the Ministry of Health), Alfonso Molina (scientific director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale), Riccardo Pietrabissa (vice president of the CNR Scientific Council), Daniela Scaramuccia (director of Health & Life Science Industry IBM Italia), Vittorio Tambone (of the Institute of Philosopher of Scientific and Technological Action UCBM) and Eugenio Guglielmelli (Pro-Rector for Research UCBM).

The meeting between teachers and students was an opportunity to remember that only by preparing to manage the next innovations in industry and society will we be able to experience the epochal change as protagonists. “If we don't prepare for this social revolution and we don't prepare our students and society as a whole – he said Maria Chiara Carrozza We will find ourselves marginalized because we won't be able to cope with change. It is at that point that the antagonism will emerge, with robots on one side and us on the other, where we will have to compete with robots. This triggers a very negative cycle that can lead to competition, which in my opinion is not the right path. Instead, I believe it should be a cultural one, based on understanding the phenomenon and preparing our young people.

Therefore, giving space to training capable of contemplating the innovations in progress is essential to seize the opportunities deriving from such a wave of changes. In this sense, the Campus Bio-Medico University has already taken up the challenge and in 2018, together with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, will organize the Romecup, the 12th edition of the event which showcases the excellence of robotics in Rome and which will open with an international conference.