At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important in society, Italy «lacks 4.5 million workers with advanced digital skills». This was highlighted by Corrado Panzeri, head Innotech hub & partner of Teha (The Ambrosetti house) group, during his speech at the Satec convention of Confindustria Nautica, held in Puglia, in Borgo Egnazia.
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The meeting was opened by a video message from the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who recalled that the Executive «has given shape to the law on the valorization of marine resources, which has just been approved in Parliament, marking the beginning of a new season, in which the sea is finally considered one of the strategic development assets of the nation. Boating is one of the fundamental components of this asset, a sector that the Government intends to support in simplification, accompany in innovation and internationalization processes, and strengthen in skills training. Now – concluded Meloni – the challenge that awaits us is to concretely implement the regulatory framework we have outlined, so that businesses and territories can fully grasp its benefits».
In his introductory speech, the president of Confindustria Nautica, Piero Formenti, highlighted how the industry today operates in a scenario where industrial competition, international trade, technological innovation, and economic policy are increasingly interconnected, and where the ability to read and anticipate changes represents a decisive factor for competitiveness.
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And, on the subject of duties, he stressed that «the US market is the main outlet for nautical exports, and duties have certainly created a significant problem. The biggest difficulty, however, was the uncertainty generated by the continuous changes in the Trump administration’s announcements, which made it impossible to understand what scenario we would face». Once a more stable framework was defined, according to the president of Confindustria Nautica, businesses and stakeholders identified solutions to absorb the impact of the new trade measures: «The supply chain found a way to compensate for the effects of the duties, allowing US customers to continue purchasing and appreciating products made in Italy».
Within this general framework, the importance of artificial intelligence, also for the nautical sector, is obviously included. «AI – stated Panzeri – represents a historic opportunity for Italy: our models estimate a potential of 336 billion euros in added value per year by 2040: the equivalent of the entire national manufacturing sector. In a country that will lose 3.7 million workers due to demographic reasons, AI is not an option, it is a structural necessity. But technology alone is not enough: today there is a lack of 4.5 million workers with advanced digital skills. The real bottleneck is not the machine but the culture of innovation and people’s skills. Meanwhile, American Big Tech companies will invest over 750 billion dollars in 2026 alone: more than five times the entire investment in information & communication technology of the European Union. Made in Italy has all the prerequisites to benefit from this industrial revolution, but the time to accelerate is now».
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