ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THE MARKET IN EMILIA-ROMAGNA EXCEEDS 30 MILLION EURO BY 2022,
WITH THE PROSPECT OF GROWTH TO 51 MILLION IN 2024.
SIXTH STOP OF THE SMALL INDUSTRY AND ANITEC-ASSINFORM ROADSHOW IN CESENATICO

In 2022, the Artificial Intelligence market in Emilia-Romagna exceeded 30 million euros, with a growth perspective of up to 51.6 million euros in 2024. The digital market in the region exceeded 6 billion euro in 2022, with a growth of 1.8% compared to 2021.
The percentage of enterprises in Emilia-Romagna with at least one basic level of digitisation increased to 70.5% in 2022 from 63.4% in 2021, an increase of more than 7 percentage points.
There are still few Italian companies using artificial intelligence systems, but the market is developing strongly: the percentage of small Italian companies now stands at 5.3, compared to 24.3% of large companies, but the latest available ISTAT data refer to 2021.

Cesenatico, 21 September 2023 - Sixth stage in Cesenaticowith Piccola Industria Confindustria Romagna for the Series of meetings 'Artificial Intelligence and SMEs: Experiences from a Present Future'.organised by Piccola Industria Confindustria and Anitec-Assinform, in collaboration with the Digital Innovation Hub network, with the partnership of Audi and the media partnership of L'Imprenditore. It is a roadshow that over two years will touch all Italian regions, with the aim of raising awareness and informing small businesses associated with Confindustria about the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. The companies themselves will talk about their experiences and strategies for using AI in the company, thanks to the presentation of concrete cases and direct confrontation with the participants.  

Artificial intelligence, which has been discussed for more than 70 years, is today at the centre of the political-economic debate. Big data, high computational capacities and better performing algorithms enable its widespread use, capable of affecting the daily lives of companies and individuals even more profoundly than previous innovations. However, despite its potential, AI is still scarcely used by Italian companies, especially smaller ones: according to ISTAT data for 2021, only 6.2% of companies with at least 10 employees declared that they use artificial intelligence systems, compared to an average of 8% in the European Union. In particular, the percentage of small Italian companies stands at 5.3%, compared to 24.3% for large companies. This is a gap that needs to be bridged, as numerous studies certify a growing gap in productivity growth due to digitalisation between the few frontier enterprises and the many lagging behind. (FIGURE 1). Italy is partially catching up in industry: in 2021, the percentage of companies most advanced in the use of artificial intelligence was higher than the European average (1.4% versus 1.3%). However, it still remains far behind the leading countries: Denmark at 5.3% and the Netherlands at 3%.

As for the Emilia-Romagna region, enterprises with at least a basic level of digitisation are the 70,5% in 2022 compared to 63.4% in 2021This represents an increase of 7 percentage points (FIGURE 2). The Region is the first among the three Italian regions to be identified as 'Strong Innovator" in the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2023 of the European Commission, compared to a national average defined as "moderate innovator".

According to Anitec-Assinform, the association that groups ICT companies in Confindustria, in Italy for the artificial intelligence market in 2022 reached a volume of about 435 million (+32.4%) and it is envisaged that AI reaches 1,200 million in 2026with a average annual growth rate of 28.9% (cf. Anitec-Assinform Report "Il Digitale in Italia 2022" v.2). (FIGURE 3)

Artificial Intelligence, together with other market enablers (Digital Enablers) such as Cybersecurity, Big Data and Cloud, will be an extraordinary driving force for the development of the Italian digital market. Despite the positive outlook, the AI market in Italy is still less developed than in other more industrialised countries. For this reason, it is crucial to have a strategic vision that will accelerate and boost business investment, strengthen digital skills from school to the workplace, and increase awareness and knowledge of the potential of AI.
 
Analysing the regional data is highlighted as in 2022 the Artificial Intelligence market in Emilia-Romagna exceeded 30.5 million euro, with an average 30% growth perspective over the two-year period 2022-2024year when it is expected to reach 51.6 million. If we look at the digital market as a whole in 2022 Emilia-Romagna reaches EUR 6 billion in 2022growth of 1.8% compared to 2021 (Source: Anitec-Assinform Report 'Il Digitale in Italia 2022'). (FIGURE 4 - 5).

"While we carried out our information and training in the territories' - recalled Giovanni Baroni President Small Industry Confindustria -  'at both European and national level, many steps forward have been taken on artificial intelligence and its main hardware component: chips. We look with interest at the innovations of the IA Act and the Chips Act, as well as, remaining in Italy, those introduced by the Omnibus Decree on semiconductors. Our country lacks, however, a structured and coherent strategy, both in terms of resources and vision, that can stand alongside the European one and compete with US, Chinese, South Korean, or even German and French programmes. The Italian tradition in research in these fields has a long history and maintains great excellence: it would be important to lay the foundations for the future today, both in R&D and in manufacturing'.

 
"Anitec-Assinform is committed to promoting Artificial Intelligence as a catalyst for growth and innovation in the Italian industrial landscape. As an association, we want to inspire small and medium-sized enterprises to embrace AI and new digital technologies. Our goal is to make digital the core of our growth, consolidating the leadership position of Italian industry in the global market and helping to achieve a future of innovation and success' he stated Paolo Maggioli, Vice President Anitec-Assinform.
 
"There are still wide margins for improvement and great potential to be unleashed in a sector of continuous innovation such as AI, but these figures confirm the dynamic vocation of the industrial fabric of Romagna, despite all the difficulties and unpredictable variables, most recently the flood. Truly small businesses are doing a great feat together, proving that they are the backbone on which the territorial production system is held". stressed Danilo Casadei, Chairman Small Industry Committee Confindustria Romagna.
 

"The survey confirms - said Maurizio Minghelli, Chairman Small Industry Committee Confindustria Emilia-Romagna - that our region is very lively on issues related to innovation and new technologies. There are three challenges: the use of data for widespread intelligence available to businesses and society, digital skills, and the digital transformation of production and service sectors. With our Digital Innovation Hub, of which all the territorial associations of Emilia-Romagna are members, we have carried out more than 200 assessments and more than 300 one-to-one meetings with companies on advanced technologies, from the digital twin to blockchain and artificial intelligence'.