Last week, on my way back from Bologna, my usual AI Journey newsletter missed an edition. What I happily realized was that the reason for the delay would become the heart of this week’s reflection.

My previous article, “Potential Doesn’t Grow in Isolation” explored what it means to be seen, supported, and included — especially for women shaping the future. Just a few days after writing it, I experienced those three words not as concepts, but as lived reality.

I felt what it means when your being is acknowledged simply for being itself — as one of my classmates beautifully described — and how transformative it is when that being finally finds a home to grow.

Walking along the terrace of Bologna Business School, my gaze kept returning to the olive tree on my left. Its branches overlooking the valley — a quiet and steady witness to the blend of civilizations and humanity’s enduring search for growth. Somehow, that tree became a metaphor for the week: grounded, generous, full of life.

Despite decades of business trips, learning programs, and networking events, my first Smart Week of the Executive Master in Artificial Intelligence for Business at BBS felt different. Truly different. There was something deeply special woven into those days — a feeling that I had found my place, my home, and my people. I was humbled by the warmth, the friendship, and the extraordinary hospitality that met me at every step.

I could never have imagined this when I applied to BBS last summer. My intention then was to gently disrupt my life — to bring a challenging yet exciting new dimension into an otherwise stable professional world. Another reason was far more personal: I wanted to connect with my città preferita on a deeper, more meaningful level than I ever could as a tourist.

And yet here I am, looking back on one of the loveliest weeks of my life. I feel so fortunate to have met each of my classmates in person — for their kindness, their curiosity, and the way they made me feel welcomed from the very first moment.

What if the Future of AI Begins with the People Who Shape It?

What if the future of AI is best understood not through algorithms, but through the people who are learning to shape it?

This week, I was reminded of that through the remarkable individuals around me:

• What if it includes the cinematic storyteller whose lens captures meaning where others only see data?
• Or the one who sees AI not as a tool, but as a bridge — blending art, culture, and the uniqueness of human character to build deeper connections?
• What if transformation begins with someone ready to reinvent himself after years in a single field, now exploring new skills?
• What if it extends to the ones who care most about social inclusion, using technology to create better futures that leave no one behind?
• Or those energized by what AI can unlock in education, tourism, finance, retail, market insight, compliance, and more?

This is the real inspiration of Smart Week: the realization that AI’s potential becomes meaningful only when seen through the lens of diverse human dreams.

Days of Learning, Curiosity, and Real‑World Insight

Official post describes the week beautifully— highlighting lectures by leading academics and industry practitioners, discussions on AI and quantum computing, case studies across infrastructure, banking compliance, and digital services, and field visits to European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts – ECMWF and Tetra Pak, both showing how technology shapes business decisions.

But what stayed with me most was not only what we learned, but how we learned it — in conversation, pasta making and shared meals, in laughter, and in the genuine curiosity that brought us together.

The steps leading to the school became a quiet metaphor for me. Whether climbing up or heading down, each step felt like part of a larger journey — steady, intentional, one step at a time.

Smart Week was not only an academic program. It was a human experience. A reminder that transformation — technological or otherwise — always begins with people.

And I am so grateful to be walking these steps with this remarkable community.

Grazie infinite!

Published on Linkedin.