On the morning of February 3rd, the Cremona Correctional Facility in Italy hosted a special event focused on learning and the future. This facility is not new to us, as since 2022, we have delivered 34 “Introduction to Computer Basics (ICB)” courses and two teacher training sessions (ICBF), reaching over 250 beneficiaries.
This time, the focus was on Artificial Intelligence (AI), a topic revolutionizing the world. The goal was to keep the incarcerated population up-to-date on the latest AI developments, preparing them for reintegration into society and the workforce.
The event was organized with the support of “Sesta Opera San Fedele,” an association deeply embedded in the institution. “I thank our main referent Danila Fusi for bringing this session to life, showcasing our commitment to continuous education,” said Claudia Angelini, our Italian Country Manager.
The session was led by our volunteers Lavinia Fabrello, a Senior CAD Engineer at ST, and Claudio Cremasco, who shared their expertise and passion for AI. “As a neurodivergent individual, I understand the value AI brings in terms of simplification and support to fragile people. This is why I chose to discuss AI in a correctional facility,” Lavinia said. “The audience reaction has been incredibly positive, with lots and lots of questions that kept me on stage for a long time!”
The session covered a broad spectrum of AI-related topics: What is AI? Why is AI important? A bit of history, examples of AI in action, how AI models are trained, what ChatGPT is and how to use it efficiently, and notions on security and privacy. These topics aimed to provide a thorough understanding of AI, its applications, and its implications.
The audience included incarcerated people, their educators, the facility director, and various operators involved in the facility’s services, such as drug addiction counselors, linguistic mediators, and police officers.
Special acknowledgments go to our ST volunteers Alessio Ferioli, for his support in content preparation, and to Mauro Zappa for his presence in the room as our main referent for the ICBF courses at the Cremona Facility.
The morning concluded with a sense of accomplishment and inspiration. Participants left with a newfound appreciation for AI and its potential to transform lives. Danila Fusi’s words resonated with everyone: “This session is a step towards bridging the gap between the correctional facility and the external world, ensuring our community is not left behind in the age of AI.”
Sesta Opera San Fedele
The Sesta Opera San Fedele is one of the oldest voluntary associations dedicated to helping the incarcerated operating in Italy. Its mission is to provide moral and material assistance to those impacted by the justice system and their families, promoting their dignity and working to remove the causes of marginalization, facilitating their reintegration into society. Its origin takes us back to Milan in 1923, amidst the tensions of a society that, having overcome the watershed of the Great War, found itself in the dramatic crisis of liberal Italy, now in an irreparable crisis due to the full unfolding of the fascist regime. https://sestaopera.it/