Italian President Mattarella warns that AI could reshape society and widen inequalities

President Sergio Mattarella told the Cotec XIX symposium in Venice that artificial intelligence is transforming learning, work, industry, public administration, science, health and culture at an unprecedented speed. He emphasized that AI’s generative capabilities affect high‑cognitive tasks such as writing, analysis and decision‑support, raising questions about responsibility, accountability and the concentration of power in a few private actors.

A parallel analysis of recent Italian communications research shows that AI is also pulling strategy and credibility back to the centre of corporate communication. A May 2026 Muck Rack study of over 25 million links cited by ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini in the United States found that 84 % of AI‑generated citations come from earned‑media sources, highlighting the renewed importance of trustworthy journalism and relational credibility in an environment flooded with AI‑generated content.

Both observations underline the need for new governance frameworks and ethical standards to ensure AI serves the public interest rather than deepening economic and social gaps.