“Artificial Intelligence is a complex challenge that is completely transforming our world. Whether being used for big data analysis, the positioning strategy of a hospitality structure or company, A.I. combines user choices with those made by companies, in an ongoing remodelling of the opportunities present on the market.” So says Simona Greco, Group Owned Exhibitions Director at Fiera Milano, who in her opening talk at the webinar “Artificial Intelligence for Companies: Technologies and Innovations for Reopening”, organised by HostMilano, in collaboration with Fiera Milano Media–Business International, wished to emphasise once again how the world that will be coming to the halls of the Rho Fiera Milano trade fair from 22 to 26 October 2021 is changing because of artificial intelligence. “A.I. is a great opportunity for our sector to tackle what has been an unprecedented crisis, enabling us to establish best practices for remaining resilient and starting up again in a way we could never have imagined in the past.” From the management of energy in big hotels, with systems able to monitor windows, heating and lighting, and to identify the best solutions for providing comfort in a way that cuts consumption and promotes sustainability, to the machinery in a gelateria, bakery or café that can identify technical issues and even repair itself, the advantages that come with technological innovation concern not just their uses but also the end customers.

There again, in a market which in Italy alone is worth 300 million euros, A.I. has responded well to the health emergency. This is borne out by data from the Artificial Intelligence Observatory of the School of Management at Politecnico di Milano, which found that A.I. solutions are now used by 53% medium to large businesses in Italy, and that there has been a growth in the number of concerns running fully operative projects, increasing from 20% in 2019 to 40% now. The problem, though, believes another contributor to the webinar, president of QuestIT Marco Landi, is of a cultural nature: “In Italy (but the problem is the same Europe-wide), there needs to be a greater awareness among top management of the importance of this transformation, and also of the risks this innovative technology brings with it, investing in new talents that are capable of managing it in the best possible way,” Landi said. All the more so in the sectors of Ho.re.ca. and hospitality, who make innovation and the ability to be attractive and competitive one of their strengths, in a context in which speed of service and personalisation are must-have features, and something the new generations of ultra tech-savvy consumers can no longer do without.