Artificial intelligence, Italy in the top 10 for number of scientific publications

The Italian system is a major player in the international scientific community with scientific production growing faster than most other countries. In particular, Italy is the sixth most prolific nation in the world in terms of number of scientific publications in various fields. Within the EU only Germany does better. These are the salient data that emerge from the study presented during the event “The challenges of science: from policy making to artificial intelligence” organized on the initiative of the President of the 7th Senate Commission Roberto Marti in the presence of numerous personalities of Italian science and culture , including the President of the AI ​​Commission for Information Father Paolo Benanti, the Director General of the Agency for Digital Italy Mario Nobile and the AGCOM Commissioner Massimiliano Capitanio.

Ai: our research is underway

From the analysis presented by Elsevier, a scientific publisher that publishes more than 3 thousand academic journals in every field, it also emerges that Italy is especially relevant in the AI ​​field, ranking 9th in the top 10 of scientific research in terms of publications produced. Ranking led by China, United States, United Kingdom and India, considering the period between 2018 and 2023. United States and United Kingdom are our preferred partners, with the most frequent international co-authorships. The topic of AI research, the study highlights, does not only concern the advancement of basic technology (mainly driven by private groups and large powers), but also and above all its use at a multidisciplinary level, seen as an important factor of acceleration of technology and scientific progress (with higher normalized citation impact (FWCI) for publications on AI and its applications). This is especially valid in the medical field, the sector with the most publications (289 thousand), followed by Information & Communication Technologies (74), engineering (68), strategic technologies (59), physics and astronomy (49).

«From our analysis, Italy is positioned as one of the global leaders in the production of knowledge in the field of Artificial Intelligence – declared Claudio Colaiacomo, Vice President Global Academic Relations at Elsevier, «As in other disciplines, our country boasts high standards in scientific research, while raising crucial questions regarding how best to capitalize on this potential. The current situation might represent an opportunity to organize research in the field of Artificial Intelligence both to pursue specific objectives of national interest and to help the legislator in the difficult task of regulating its use, always maintaining the fundamental principle of freedom of research”.

The weaknesses of the Italian academic system

A significant fact that emerges from the study is the small percentage of young people engaged in research in our country, unlike countries such as China (53%) and India (41%) where the percentage of young researchers in the AI ​​field is significantly higher. A figure that suggests how some countries – in particular the English-speaking ones and especially China, are destined to exercise leadership in the next decade, with the others, including Italy, appearing more vulnerable in this respect. Another asset in which the Italian system creaks is that of collaboration between public and private, which acts as a real accelerator in terms of normalized citations received. For example, in the United States, as much as 11% of all academic research is developed in collaboration with the private sector. In Italy the percentage is only 4%, often encouraged in very high impact scientific work. During the conference, the need to have adequate regulations in the AI ​​field emerged, as a pillar for building a virtuous system. In this context, the President of the 7th Commission Roberto Marti highlighted the need to develop this aspect, while highlighting how Italy is at the forefront in adopting the first national regulation on the matter, following the issuing of the Union’s AI ACT European. «The primary objective is to maximize the positive use of the potential of AI, even with massive investments, but mitigating the risks of this new technology by seeking a balance between technological advancement and the protection of citizens’ rights» .

Science and policymaking: Italy above average

While scientific results inform decisions at a political level in various fields, on the other hand, science itself is influenced by the choices of the political decision maker. In this complex scenario, where researchers believe that having greater opportunities for interaction with policymakers is a key factor in communicating research effectively, an encouraging insight into the importance of Italian research in the policymaking field emerges. From the analysis of the SciVal database, in the period 2013-2023, it emerges that Italian science not only influences research at a global level, but also on policies, with Italian research being frequently cited in the context of government policies with an excellent 6.2% . A significantly greater impact than the EU average, which stands at 4.2%. In the ranking, the United Kingdom, with 10%, is the country most cited in global policies, showing the crucial role that British research plays. Among the universities that stand out for the impact of their research in policy documents we find the University of Milan and the University of Turin.