Women in AI: the story of Roberta Curto
When we first met her, Roberta Curto told us how artificial intelligence was becoming part of everyday life at Tenuta Civrana, a family-run farm in the province of Venice, helping her to manage a business that combines production, agritourism and an educational farm [see the article The roots of innovation, between land and data]. Today, a few months on from the conclusion of the Women’s Leadership in AI: Skills for Female Entrepreneurs and Professionals programme, promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and funded by the Centre for Public Impact as part of the Google.org AI Opportunity Fund, that initial insight has evolved into a well-established working method.
In our first interview, Roberta told us about her decision to leave her job as a data analyst to devote herself to the family farm, putting her degree in computer engineering and the skills she’d gained in the digital sector to good use. She’d discovered that artificial intelligence could make a difference even in a small agricultural business, simplifying tasks such as drawing up quotes, managing paperwork and communicating with customers.
Today, that journey continues. Artificial intelligence is no longer a tool to be experimented with, but a constant presence in the running of the business. From communication to document management, right through to the organisation of daily tasks, AI allows her to work more efficiently without compromising on her focus on people and the quality of relationships.
Since completing the training course, how has your use of artificial intelligence evolved? Which tools do you use most often today?
Before taking the course, I mainly used ChatGPT, which I now only keep for a few routine checks. Today, my day-to-day work has shifted to Gemini and Google tools.
Can you give us some concrete examples of how you use AI in your day-to-day work?
I use AI for several key tasks that save me a lot of time. I use it to help me draw up personalised quotes for private events (for example, to reword proposals a few days later) and to adjust the tone of voice (e.g. adding emojis or making the text more formal). I use AI to structure posts and stories for social media and to identify the most effective keywords for capturing the audience’s attention. I also use it to respond to customer reviews. Furthermore, I often receive complex documents relating to tenders or contracts and ask Gemini to summarise them for me so I can grasp the gist quickly and easily.
What have you learnt from the intersection of innovation and tradition? What message would you like to share with other female entrepreneurs?
There’s never enough time, and I believe that AI – when tailored to your own context and way of seeing things – is a vital aid in finding the right words that are sometimes lacking. I’m very keen to share a personal message with my clients: I often find myself having to try several times with AI to get the right nuance, and it’s essential to always read through the text carefully because there are sometimes glaring errors or omissions. My message to other female entrepreneurs is therefore to make the most of this technology to optimise your time, whilst always maintaining firm human control and authenticity.
