Ital.IA Lab: the experience of Alessandro, 17, student at ITT Giorgi in Brindisi
The Fondazione Mondo Digitale, in collaboration with Microsoft Italia, is promoting Ital.IA Lab in schools, a project that not only introduces students and teachers to the opportunities and challenges offered by artificial intelligence (AI), but also profoundly enriches their educational experience. This initiative has enabled students such as Alessandro Discanno, 17, a student at the G. Giorgi technical-technological institute in Brindisi, to tackle innovative and practical topics that are often absent from traditional curricula.
Here is his experience recounted in the interview by Alberta Testa.
What did you like most about the course? Did you find it useful?
‘I liked how the topic of artificial intelligence was addressed and explored in depth, a hot topic to date, a current topic that arouses a lot of interest in my generation and that is generally not addressed at school. The topic was explained in detail, but in a simple and accessible way for everyone. I really enjoyed the in-person training part and the concluding moment of the course, where we had to apply the acquired skills in a practical way’.
Is there anything you learnt that particularly surprised you?
‘Thanks to the course, I developed a new vision on the topic of generative AI. I realised both what the potential of this tool is and what the risks are associated with misuse of this frontier technology'.
What practical aspect addressed during the course do you think will be particularly useful to you in the future?
‘One practical aspect that I think will be very useful to me in the future was understanding how best to use Copilot. One surprising thing for me was to discover that these generative AI tools are able to adapt their language according to the interlocutor. For example, you can ask an AI to explain a complex concept or historical fact (such as the Wall Street crisis of ‘29) in a way that is understandable even to a child’.
Do you use generative AI? If so, how?
‘I use generative AI both for support at school and for personal reasons. It would be stupid not to use it, just as it would be stupid to use it too much. Excessive use brings with it the risk of weakening some of our skills. For me therefore it should be used in moderation'.
Is there a topic you would be interested in exploring further?
'I would be interested in learning more about how AI is applied and integrated into the automotive sector (but also other sectors in general). In particular, I would like to delve into the case of Tesla, which has integrated AI into both vehicles and production processes'.
One good thing and one bad thing about AI?
‘For me, there is not something intrinsically positive or negative about AI. I would rather say that our approach to this technology can be positive or negative, conscious or unconscious, correct or incorrect'.
During the course, Alessandro tackled a final assignment that involved the use of generative AI tools, such as Bing AI Image and Copilot, to create a banner warning the audience of the risks of blindly trusting AI-generated information, highlighting the possibility of errors or ‘hallucinations’.
The course made possible by Ital.IA Lab provided the students with concrete tools to understand and use artificial intelligence, making this experience a unique opportunity that would hardly have been replicable without the project's support. Alessandro and his classmates benefited from advanced training that propelled them towards a more mature awareness of future technologies.
