Female intelligence in AI: the story of Maria Teresa
Generative artificial intelligence represents an extraordinary lever for growth, with an estimated economic potential of €1.2 trillion for the European Union and a possible reduction in individual workload of over 70 hours per year [Il Sole 24 Ore, Competitiveness and generative AI, an opportunity for Europe today].
Ensuring that the benefits of digital transformation are fair and accessible to all is one of the priorities of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS. This is why the project Female Intelligence in AI: Skills for Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals was created, funded by the Centre for Public Impact as part of the Google.org AI Opportunity Fund. The training programme, through the Google AI Essentials course, aims to break down barriers to advanced training, combat gender stereotypes and provide women with tools to strengthen their skills, confidence and professional autonomy.
The story of Maria Teresa
Among the participants is Maria Teresa Pellegrino, 61, an oil producer and owner of the company Pellegrino 1890 srl in Andria, in the province of Barletta and Trani. Maria Teresa works in a context that she herself describes as “a predominantly male world”, where women have to work twice as hard to prove their competence. ‘In our sector, women are still considered to be at a disadvantage,’ she says.
Determined to carve out a space for herself in terms of decision-making and work autonomy, Maria Teresa chose to focus on marketing, leaving the administrative management to her brother. Hers is a personal and professional challenge: to understand new digital tools and learn how to use them to better communicate her company's identity and values.
She learned about the project through the Punto Impresa Digitale (PID) in Bari, with which the Fondazione Mondo Digitale has been collaborating for some time. Her motivation is clear: ‘I am always looking towards the future. I don't want to fall behind others.’
The concrete impact: successful events and revolutionary texts
The Google AI Essentials course proved to be an enlightening experience for her. ‘Wonderful and very useful,’ says Maria Teresa, who immediately put what she had learned into practice.
The first result came during the organisation of a corporate event: using Gemini, the AI assistant, and following the suggestions tested in the course, she managed to plan everything in five minutes, with ‘enormous success’. ‘I realised that artificial intelligence can really save your life when you feel stuck, all you need is a well-organised prompt.’ But the real turning point came with the rewriting of marketing texts: Maria Teresa asked the AI to reinterpret them according to the neuromarketing archetypes chosen for the brand, the Rebel and the Guardian Angel. ‘The result was a beautiful text, which I reused almost in its entirety.’ Thanks to the course, Maria Teresa found an ally in technology to enhance her creativity, optimise her working time and strengthen her brand identity.
Living modernity without fear
Today, Maria Teresa looks at artificial intelligence with confidence and curiosity. ‘I would definitely recommend this course. AI is only scary because it is modern, but modernity is always scary. It's just a matter of overcoming a human limitation.’
‘Female intelligence in AI’ is much more than a training project: it is a community that helps women discover their own transformative power through knowledge. Stories like Maria Teresa's show that when technology is accessible and inclusive, it becomes a tool for freedom, autonomy and the future.
Edited by Alberta Testa, social media manager
