Luca, one of our students, recently returned from the two-day World AI Cannes Festival. Here’s what he told us.

Hi!

My name is Luca, I am a second-year student of the BSc in Management & Data Science.

I began to become interested in the world of artificial intelligence, in a more in-depth way, after participating in the last edition of the World Artificial Intelligence Cannes Festival.

I just returned from Cannes after taking part in this year’s edition, which took place from 8 to 10 February.

My adventure began with a mix of enthusiasm, curiosity and a slight “responsibility anxiety”: not only was I there to further immerse myself in the fascinating world of artificial intelligence, but I was also the team leader, together with Camilla, of our group of 24 students from H-FARM College, coming from different courses and years of study, led by Professor Pierluigi Fasano.

On Thursday and Friday we browsed the stands, talking to startups and companies and listening to talks given by international speakers. Personally, I found two conferences in particular very interesting: the first was on “AI Ethics & Governance” with notable guest speakers including Federico Sartore (CEO – DexAI), Massimo Chiriatti (CTO – Lenovo Italy), Barbara Carfagna (Author and journalist – Rai) and Enrico Panai (AI Ethicist – Association of AI Ethicists).

The second, however, was on “NeuroAI” and saw the participation of Giacomo Indiveri (Professor, Researcher and Director of the Institute of Neuroinformatics – University of Zurich and ETH Zurich), Dileep George (Director of Research – Google DeepMind), Stanislaw Woziniak (Staff Research Scientist – IBM Research) and Tristan Stöber (Junior Research Leader – Ruhr-Universität Bochum), organized by Andrea Graziano (Co-Founder – BAINSA, Bocconi AI & Neuroscience Student Association. The first talk was very useful for us second year students, since in the first semester we attended an enhancing course on “Ethics of AI”, while the second one intrigued me because I was able to deepen my interest in the relationship between neuroscience and artificial intelligence, discover its applications and uses such as neural networks and reproduction of synapses and artificial neurons.

I believe that this experience abroad is a great opportunity, truly relevant for our educational path, and in particular for the students on my course and for those who will enroll in STEM courses next year. It is not only an opportunity to explore and deepen your knowledge of this ever-evolving world, but it is also an excellent opportunity to network and make contacts with companies for possible future job opportunities.

However, beyond the information sessions and technological demonstrations, what made this experience unforgettable were the moments of true “human connection”: a chance meeting between the stands with a well-known face who took part in the last edition of the festival it transformed a simple greeting into a warm exchange of updates and reflections, strengthening my belief in the power of networking. But, most of all, it was the human value of our group that left its mark. Spending days outside the classroom with Professor Fasano and my classmates gave me a different perspective, not only on AI but on my future. The walks, shared meals, and spontaneous discussions became a fertile time for sharing personal stories, career advice, and life reflections that enriched the trip far beyond its academic content.

P.s. Obviously the experience and fun are also outside the festival, but what happens in Cannes stays in Cannes 🙂

See you soon!