A realistic utopia to build together

In her opening address at RomeCup 2025, held in the capital from 7 to 9 May, Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, shared a profound and passionate vision of the role of technological innovation in society. Her speech intertwined ethical responsibility, inclusive education and trust in young people, inspired by the words of Pope Francis and a concrete commitment to the common good. We are publishing the full text of her speech, which officially opens the 18th edition of the event.

Good morning
 

thank you all for being here with us at the 18th edition of RomeCup. This is an important milestone for our event dedicated to young people and cutting-edge technologies.
Thank you to Roma Tre University, thank you to the Rector for the enthusiasm with which you have opened the doors of your university to us, and thank you to all the staff for their support and enthusiastic collaboration.
Thanks also to all the sponsors, the supporting organisations, Rai, Corriere della Sera for their partnerships, and thanks to Riccardo Luna for agreeing to be with us again this year.
This morning, this inaugural conference of the RomeCup is part of the cultural programme of the 2025 Jubilee.
From the very beginning, we wanted to build this event around Pope Francis' messages on technology and its relationship with man.

The message I love most from the Pope is the one in which he invites us to direct technology, innovation and technical-scientific research towards the integral development of man and the community, towards the pursuit of peace and the common good.

I love it because it makes us understand how important human action, human intelligence, creativity, dedication and work are in directing technological development towards a beneficial contribution to the future of humanity and peace among peoples.

The Pope reminds us that the impact of technology depends greatly

1. on the objectives and interests of those who own and develop it
2. on the situations in which it is decided to use them
3. on the need for adequate training in responsibility in its development and use.

These are all words of Pope Francis, to whose memory we wish to dedicate this edition of our event.

These are the messages and goals for which the Fondazione Mondo Digitale promotes and organises the RomeCup. 

To place at the centre of reflection and action the responsibility of human beings to promote ethical and inclusive innovation, with young people at its heart.

You young people are the future, and we have always dedicated all our activities to you.

Eighteen years ago, RomeCup was born as an educational and civic challenge: to bring innovation into schools, but also to bring schools to the centre of innovation. Today, years later, that vision has become a vital ecosystem that grows with the relationships, challenges and ideas of young people.

RomeCup is much more than an event: it is a platform of possibilities, an accelerator of trust, a living map of new educational needs and new social possibilities. It is the place where technology and humanity meet, not to compete, but to build together.

In a time marked by growing inequality and educational loneliness, we believe that innovation should serve to connect, not divide. To include, not exclude. To build communities, not just skills.

We see this every year in the faces of the boys and girls who compete in robotics competitions or creative contests. But behind every prototype there is much more: there is a powerful desire to be there, to participate, to shape the future.

This is why we wanted to place our Manifesto for Collective Action on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the heart of this edition, with ten concrete actions to guide Artificial Intelligence towards serving the common good. 

RomeCup has always been a realistic utopia: we do not imagine a perfect future, but we build spaces where young people and adults can work together for a fairer future. Because innovation is not only born in laboratories, but within authentic relationships capable of generating community.

Tomorrow, we will also present a new initiative that embodies this vision: the Pathway Companion project, an intelligent tutoring platform designed for children with special educational needs and those who care for them. It is artificial intelligence that provides care, proximity and educational alliance.

And alongside the little ones, we never stop investing in young researchers. With the Most Promising Researcher in Robotics & AI award, the only one of its kind in Italy, we support the commitment of those who are bringing innovation from research to society, from the laboratory to real life. In three editions, we have received over 600 applications from more than 50 Italian universities. The winning projects have already made their mark. They are proof that, if talent is given confidence, it can bring about real change.

For us, true innovation is that which builds bonds. That leaves no one behind. That gives young people, and all of us, back the confidence that we can transform things.

I will conclude with another invitation from Pope Francis:

‘The future of artificial intelligence is not written. A positive outcome will only be possible if we prove capable of acting responsibly and respecting fundamental human values such as inclusion, transparency, security, fairness, privacy and reliability.’

This is the commitment we make to you today. May this RomeCup and all future ones be a living laboratory, where we learn not only to do, but to be. Because the future is not something to be predicted. It is something to be built. Together.

Thank you and enjoy RomeCup2025!