The recent rise of generative AI is seen by companies and public administrations as an opportunity to optimize their organizations, often with the expectation of reducing personnel costs. Analysts tied to Big Tech, such as the authors of the bestseller Abundance, Klein and Thompson, promise wealth for all, claiming that this is a technology that both creates and destroys jobs, much like the steam engine in its time – but with far greater potential to accelerate human progress. At the same time, it seems that young people face the threat of not finding employment, as AI tends to be used to replace so-called “junior” positions – but then, what will young people do? In this debate, we will try to explore the implications of using AI in productive sectors in order to better understand its impact on our society.

Debate participants:

Andrea Emilio Rizzoli, Director of IDSIA USI-SUPSI, full professor at SUPSI, adjunct professor at USI. He has been interested in artificial intelligence since as far back as 1988 and has been collaborating with IDSIA since 1996. Having lived through several eras of AI, he now wonders how things will turn out this time.

Barbara Antonioli Mantegazzini, full professor of public economics and sustainability policies, Head of the Competence Centre for Work, Welfare and Society (CLWS) at SUPSI, lecturer at the University of St. Gallen and USI. For years she has worked on energy, the environment, and public services, trying to understand how the economy and society can coexist more harmoniously. Lately, she has been looking at artificial intelligence with both curiosity and disillusionment, wondering whether it will manage to convince her that… everything will be fine!

Nicola Pons-Vignon, Professor at CLWS SUPSI, is a political economist who studies transformations of work with a participatory approach. In 2025, he curated a special issue of New Political Economy on power relations in the digital economy, and he is not at all convinced that everything will be fine.
 

Moderator:

Monica Bonetti is a journalist and radio host for RSI’s Rete Due, where she previously also worked for television (CULT TV) and the web. She is mainly interested in cultural themes and in the role that culture can, or could, play in helping us keep our bearings as we navigate contemporary life. One of the aspects of AI that intrigues her most is how to question it – and especially when it makes sense to do so.
 

Further information

The event will be followed by an “all-analog” DJ set.