Walter Quattrociocchi highlights the urgent need for a more precise, critical and shared understanding of artificial intelligence
What exactly are generative artificial intelligence systems? What can they do? And where, on the other hand, do we risk attributing to them capabilities they do not possess?
These are the questions at the heart of the open letter Towards a realistic view of artificial intelligence, presented last Monday to the Chamber of Deputies by Walter Quattrociocchi, Professor of Data Science at Sapienza University of Rome, and Enrico Nardelli, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Rome Tor Vergata [watch the video].
The document calls for the public debate on AI to be brought back to clear and realistic foundations, moving beyond narratives that portray it as either a saviour or a catastrophe. Generative systems, the letter points out, are mathematical and statistical models trained on vast amounts of data: they produce plausible, often highly convincing, responses, but they do not understand in the human sense of the term and do not possess an autonomous mechanism to verify the truthfulness of what they generate.
The point is not to downplay the value of the technology. On the contrary, it is to understand it better so that we can use it more consciously. Linguistic fluency does not necessarily equate to reliability; the coherence of a response is no guarantee of knowledge. For this reason, the letter emphasises the responsibility of the academic and scientific community to contribute to a widespread effort at clarification, education and digital literacy.
This is the same theme addressed by Quattrociocchi at RomeCup 2026, in interviews conducted by RaiNews and the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. Speaking about language, cognition and linguistic models, the professor highlighted a crucial point: artificial language can simulate highly sophisticated forms of conversation, but this does not mean that it possesses experience of the world, intentionality or human understanding.
At RomeCup, the discussion on artificial intelligence moved beyond the abstract realm of public debate to become a direct experience. “Events such as RomeCup are very important,” explained Quattrociocchi, because they enable people to engage, discuss, reflect on and experience first-hand one of the greatest changes of our time. It is not just about listening to stories about innovation, but seeing how the devices work, what questions they raise, and what social, cognitive and educational mechanisms they trigger.
This is the public purpose of an event like the RomeCup: to create the conditions for a deeper understanding of technologies, beyond speculation and beyond superficial enthusiasm. Robotics, artificial intelligence, language, data and autonomous systems become opportunities to develop skills, critical thinking and responsibility.
The reference to Tullio De Mauro, to whom the Fondazione Mondo Digitale dedicated a special prize as part of the Research Award in 2026, makes the theme even more relevant today. His lesson on the centrality of language, understanding and democratic access to knowledge offers a valuable key to interpreting artificial intelligence as well: it is not enough to produce texts, answers or content; we must question meaning, context, verification, responsibility and inclusion.
For the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, education in artificial intelligence means precisely this: helping students, teachers, citizens and educational communities to distinguish between use and understanding, between automatism and judgement, between delegation and responsibility. AI can be a powerful resource for learning, designing, working and innovating, but only if people are enabled to understand its potential and limitations.
The open letter presented to the Chamber of Deputies and the reflections shared at RomeCup converge on a common message: the real priority is not to chase after artificial intelligence as a myth, but to build a public culture capable of governing it. A culture founded on knowledge, verification, participation and responsibility.
Watch the interview conducted at RomeCup 2026.
