Experiences, proposals and new priorities shared by social economy organisations
Who decides how artificial intelligence should be used? How can we protect the most vulnerable people from new forms of exclusion? What skills do social organisations need to manage change? And how can we assess whether innovation truly benefits communities? These are some of the questions that animated the round-table discussion on 21 October, as part of the conference “The Social Economy in the Digital Age”, organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS to mark its 25th anniversary. The discussion, led by the Director-General Mirta Michilli, began with the Ten-Point Charter for Digital Transition, drawn up by the Foundation as a contribution to the National Plan for the Social Economy. An open proposal, designed to gather experiences and identify shared priorities, involving third sector organisations in building a fair, inclusive and sustainable digital transformation. The discussion revealed a diversity of perspectives that reflects the richness of the Italian social economy: associations working in the fields of rights protection, international cooperation, education, volunteering, training, health and the inclusion of the most vulnerable.
Who has the power to decide?
The first point of the Charter calls on the social economy to take a leading role in the digital transition. But what does it mean to exercise this responsibility? Katia Scannavini, Secretary-General of ActionAid Italia, posed a question that would run through the entire discussion: “Who has the power to decide what innovation should achieve, for whom and with what consequences?” This reflection shifts the focus from the ability to access technologies to the capacity to participate in the decisions that shape their development. ActionAid is experimenting with artificial intelligence in its own work processes and in projects aimed at reducing linguistic and cognitive barriers. However, Scannavini also highlighted the risks associated with power inequalities, gender stereotypes embedded in algorithms, and the economic mechanisms of digital platforms, which can fuel polarisation and discrimination. To ensure the social economy’s leadership is effective, she outlined three conditions: to participate in setting priorities, to take responsibility for the unintended consequences of technologies, and to ensure that the least represented groups gain greater decision-making power, including the ability to challenge decisions that affect them. This perspective broadens the scope of the Charter: the third sector can help define the aims of innovation, bringing to technological decision-making the experience gained through engagement with people and communities.
Protecting rights, preventing risks
The issue of accountability also extends to the protection of personal data and digital security. Ivan Marinelli, president of Aeci, described the experience of a platform developed to support the association’s activities, in which data is anonymised before being processed using artificial intelligence tools. This approach stems from the need to protect citizens’ information and raises questions about data localisation, the reliability of technology providers and the guarantees actually offered to users. Marinelli also highlighted the problem of online scams, citing the example of ShopSicuro: in the three-month period mentioned during his speech, the service recorded around 500,000 visits, analysed 24,861 websites and identified 268 sites deemed to be fraudulent.
These security concerns were echoed by Davide Zanon, director of Codici, who shared insights from the day-to-day work of consumer protection centres. Bogus investments, scams via social media and the use of automated responses for legal, medical or financial matters highlight just how important it is to develop the ability to assess risks and utilise protective tools. The situation is particularly delicate for young people and the elderly, who also use digital platforms to fulfil their needs for social interaction and emotional connection, sometimes exposing themselves to manipulation and scams. Jasmin Abo Loha, Secretary-General of Ecpat Italia, proposed including an explicit reference to the rights of children and adolescents in the Charter. The protection of children in the digital environment requires, in fact, attention to the quality of the online experience, the ability to recognise risks and the effective possibility of exercising one’s rights. Among these, the right to be forgotten is of particular importance, so that content and information disseminated during childhood do not continue to influence people’s futures.
Investing in people to innovate organisations
Strengthening skills is one of the roundtable’s most widely shared priorities. But what investments are needed to turn training into tangible change? Valeria Gherardini, head of the International Office and the Planning Office at AICS, presented two digital education initiatives supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, one of which was carried out in collaboration with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. The projects involve a total investment of over one million euros over 18 months, with a particular focus on schools in outlying areas. An initial programme involves around 120 practitioners, who will be trained to promote responsible digital citizenship in schools. The initiative ties together several points of the Charter: investing in skills, strengthening organisations’ capacity to innovate, mobilising resources and evaluating results. AICS has, in fact, arranged for a scientific partner to be involved in assessing the social impact, with the aim of identifying effective practices and encouraging their wider adoption. Gherardini also announced that the association had signed up to the Charter. The need to support smaller organisations was emphasised by Cristina De Luca, national councillor for CSVnet and vice-president of CSV Lazio. A large proportion of the Italian voluntary sector consists of associations with lean structures and limited resources. For these organisations, digital transformation can represent a significant opportunity, provided that support services, learning opportunities and accessible tools are available. The role of Volunteer Service Centres therefore becomes strategic in disseminating skills and facilitating the exchange of experiences.
Digital skills and regional cohesion
The digital transition takes on different forms depending on the region and the people involved. Francesca Lusenti, national head of Active Policies and Employment Services at Ifoa, highlighted the link between business competitiveness and social cohesion. In the Reggio Emilia Apennines, the Tenub project aims to develop a network of centres dedicated to training and innovation across ten municipalities in inland areas. The aim is to connect businesses, individuals and organisations, facilitating access to the skills and opportunities offered by the digital transformation. Lusenti emphasised the need to complement technical knowledge with critical thinking, analytical skills and problem-solving: essential skills for making informed use of new technologies. Marcello Rossoni, head of the Italy mission at Intersos, also demonstrated how access to digital services can have a tangible impact on people’s independence. In Rome’s Municipal Districts V, VI and VII, Intersos works with groups of foreign women for whom using SPID, the electronic health record, the school register or banking services means being able to manage fundamental aspects of their daily lives. Digital support can thus help reduce conditions of economic and social dependency.
Rossoni also highlighted the need to protect the data of vulnerable people and to prevent the uninformed use of artificial intelligence from resulting in standardised interventions that fail to address the specific needs of local communities.
Luca Di Sciullo, president of the Idos Centre for Studies and Research, also addressed the difficulties faced by migrants, drawing attention to the consequences of the progressive digitisation of administrative procedures. Access to services, information and regularisation pathways requires skills and tools that not everyone possesses. When procedures become exclusively digital, there is a risk that new forms of exclusion and dependence on intermediaries will arise, potentially facilitating exploitation and digital caporalato. This reflection reinforces one of the Charter’s priorities: to make digital facilitation a social infrastructure capable of guaranteeing the effective exercise of rights. For migrants, this means being able to rely on comprehensible information, accessible services and trustworthy points of contact, ensuring that administrative innovation does not become a further obstacle to autonomy and inclusion.
Relationships remain at the heart of inclusion
Several contributions highlighted how technologies can strengthen social services when integrated into relationships based on trust and closeness. Francesco Preite, president of Salesiani per il Sociale, outlined the experience of the Angels – educators and youth workers who support people in digital learning and the use of artificial intelligence. Personalised support enables people to tackle difficulties with greater confidence and transforms learning into a shared educational experience. This perspective is similar to that put forward by Ruggiero Russo, head of the National Projects Office of the Polisportive Giovanili Salesiane, who called for recognition of the central role of the family and the community. In youth clubs, digital education can become an opportunity for young people and adults to collaborate, emphasising play, participation and relationship-building. The experience of Intercultura, represented at the round table by Lorenzo Barbadoro, also highlighted the value of intergenerational dialogue. Younger people supporting adult volunteers can facilitate the learning of digital skills and strengthen bonds within the organisation. Digital technology thus becomes an opportunity to share skills and build new forms of collaboration.
Technology in the service of care
Sergio Rivabene, head of institutional relations at the Community of Sant’Egidio, drew attention to the opportunities offered by technology for older people and those with disabilities. The experience of the Viva gli Anziani programme, together with the possibilities offered by telemedicine, shows how digital tools and local networks can help combat isolation and enable people to remain in their own living environments. Technology can support continuity of care and strengthen care relationships, provided it is designed with respect for human dignity. Rivabene referred to the Rome Call for AI Ethics and the concept of algorethics, emphasising the need for artificial intelligence that is geared towards the well-being of people and careful to avoid new forms of exclusion. The quality of innovation is also measured by its ability to protect those in the most vulnerable circumstances.
Critical thinking and knowledge governance
Artificial intelligence can speed up numerous processes, but it raises questions about the quality of decisions and the autonomy of organisations. Alessandro Cossu, head of the Communications Office at Cittadinanzattiva, highlighted the risk of a ‘diminishment of inventiveness’, where the use of standardised responses reduces the ability to devise original solutions. He reported that, during a trial with a virtual assistant, 80 per cent of users still asked to speak to a human operator. This figure invites reflection on the relationship between efficiency, trust and the quality of services. Cossu also highlighted the difficulties faced by inland areas, where service cuts make it particularly important to maintain local service points and accessible forms of support.
The issue of knowledge governance was also explored in depth by Roberto Perini of Oxfam, who highlighted how generative artificial intelligence produces seemingly authoritative responses, whilst potentially providing conflicting or inaccurate information. The key skill, therefore, is the ability to verify, interpret and critically evaluate the content produced by technological systems.
From social justice to environmental sustainability
Among the issues raised during the discussion was the environmental impact of digital technologies. Artificial intelligence requires significant infrastructure and consumes large amounts of energy and water. The sustainability of this transformation must therefore be assessed whilst also taking these consequences into account. Sofia Nardacchione, from the Executive Committee of Libera. Associations, names and numbers against the mafia, proposed viewing digital facilitation as a genuine infrastructure for social justice. Technologies, she observed, operate in a space characterised by inequalities and power imbalances: for this reason, social economy organisations are called upon to bring the values of transparency, participation and the common good to innovation as well. Nardacchione also highlighted the link between social justice and environmental justice, calling for consideration of the ecological impact of artificial intelligence. The consumption of energy and water resources required for technological systems to function must be factored into the assessment of their sustainability. This perspective broadens the meaning of the Charter and urges organisations to reflect on the social and environmental consequences of their digital choices. This theme was also addressed in Ivan Marinelli’s speech and in the discussion on digital facilitation as an infrastructure for social justice. It is a perspective that broadens the scope of organisations’ responsibilities: evaluating innovation means considering the benefits for people, the consequences for social relations and the effects on the environment.
A new agenda for the social economy
The working group demonstrated how the ten points of the Charter can be enriched by the direct experience of organisations. Alongside the initial priorities, cross-cutting needs emerged: democratic participation in technological decision-making, child protection, data security, environmental sustainability, the centrality of relationships and the development of critical thinking. The discussion also revealed a wealth of existing practices: training in schools, combating scams, support for vulnerable people, intergenerational support, community-based services and pilot schemes in the care sector. These are experiences that can help transform the guidelines of the National Plan for the Social Economy into concrete pathways, provided that alliances are forged, adequate resources are mobilised and evaluation tools are shared. The Charter proposed by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale is thus confirmed as an open document, intended to evolve through the contributions of the organisations. The next step is to turn dialogue into collaboration, by identifying common priorities and experimenting with models of social innovation capable of generating lasting benefits for people and communities. This is a challenge that requires technological expertise, collective responsibility and the ability to imagine the future of the social economy together.
