Artificial intelligence is a promising sector for the future of bilateral relations between Italy and Canada. This is what emerges from the third edition of the Canada-Italy Business Forum.
Organized by the Italian Embassy in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada, the Business Forum was dedicated to the role of artificial intelligence and sustainable development as accelerators for innovation and the green transition, particularly in the essential sectors of health, energy, mobility and circular economy.
As the Italian ambassador to Canada, Andrea Ferrari, explained to Italian online outlet Formiche.net, “the Business Forum is an opportunity for key players in the sector (start-ups, companies and scholars), to share information and knowledge, discuss opportunities of collaboration between the two countries and create new business partnerships“. Italy and Canada’s economies, according to the ambassador, are often “complementary” and share a “similar economic fabric“. Complementarity is particularly evident in sectors such as “life sciences, biotechnology, mobility, energy, agriculture, aerospace”. Sectors in which “artificial intelligence acts as an accelerator and facilitator for the achievement of sustainable development goals. ”
The third edition of the Canada-Italy Business Forum was held on November 18 and 19 with the aim of creating a dialogue on four key sectors: health, energy, circular economy and mobility. Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Piedmont were the featured Italian regions of this year’s edition. The three regions host important technological incubators and several enterprises active in the field of Big Data and AI.
The Business Forum was attended by more than 60 Italian and Canadian speakers and experts, including representatives of public institutions, universities, research entities and businesses.
The opening session was attended by Carmine D’Argenio, president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada, ambassador Andrea Ferrari, Edith St-Hilaire, trade commissioner of the Canadian embassy in Italy, Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia Romagna Region, Alan Christian Rizzi, Undersecretary for external relations of the Lombardy Region, and Fabrizio Ricca, Councilor for the internationalization of the Piedmont Region.
During the working sessions, ample space was given to companies already operative in the health, energy, circular economy and mobility sectors. These included Ammagamma, an Italian company based in Modena that designs AI solutions for various industrial sectors around the world; Itelyum Regeneration, based in Lodi; Canadian company BrainBox AI which operates in the field of green building and automation in the construction field.
AI and the technology sector in general are therefore areas in which collaboration between Italy and Canada has great potential. “Canada is a world leader from a scientific point of view as well as in the creation of an ecosystem dedicated to artificial intelligence” explains ambassador Ferrari.
“This is of extraordinary interest for Italy, also considering the recently adopted National Recovery and Resilience Plan“. A collaborative relationship between Italy and Canada on artificial intelligence, “within the framework of EU-Canada cooperation on innovation” and with particular attention to human rights and the ethical aspect of AI is therefore “natural, and at the same time fundamental“.
