Ethics, Governance and Responsible AI: presenting HAL and Discovery at the Florence Chamber of Commerce
Last Tuesday we had the opportunity to participate in the event “Ethics, Governance and Responsible AI” organized by the Punto Impresa Digitale at the Auditorium of the Florence Chamber of Commerce.
The meeting brought together educators, institutions, and technology professionals to reflect on a crucial question: how to design and deploy artificial intelligence in a responsible and ethical way.
During the event, Paola Castellacci, President of ITS Academy Prodigi, delivered a clear and important message:
ethics must become a core technical competence for anyone developing technology. Building advanced systems is not enough; developers must also understand and manage their impact on people and society.
Within this framework we presented two AI assistants developed for ITS Prodigi: HAL and Discovery.
HAL – Orientation AI Assistant
HAL is a digital assistant designed to support student orientation.
Its goal is to help prospective students and their families better understand the ITS educational pathways, the skills required by the job market, and the professional opportunities connected to the programs.
By leveraging artificial intelligence, HAL makes access to information faster, more personalized, and more accessible, guiding users through the exploration of the educational paths that best match their interests and ambitions.
Discovery – Student Well-being & Support Assistant
Discovery focuses on student support and well-being during their educational journey at ITS.
The assistant helps students navigate services, opportunities, and resources available throughout their studies, creating a digital companion that supports the student experience while maintaining a strong human-centered approach.
The role of Querlo technology
Both assistants were developed using Querlo, the conversational AI platform designed to build knowledge-based digital assistants and AI-powered guidance systems.
The use of Querlo technology proved particularly valuable in this context. Its ability to structure knowledge, manage conversational flows, and provide reliable responses allowed us to design assistants that are transparent, controllable, and aligned with responsible AI principles.
In educational environments—where clarity, reliability, and inclusiveness are critical—this technological foundation becomes a key element in ensuring that AI systems truly serve students and institutions.
Education as a laboratory for responsible innovation
The event also showcased projects developed by the students of the Full Stack Developer & AI Specialist program, coordinated by Prof. Alessandro Brugioni.
Students presented AIneedJob, a virtual assistant designed with ethical AI principles to support career orientation and promote access to employment opportunities.
Projects like these demonstrate how technical education can become a real laboratory for responsible innovation, where students learn not only how to build technology, but also how to design it responsibly.
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to Paola Castellacci for the invitation and for her ongoing commitment to promoting a technological education that integrates ethics and innovation.
We would also like to thank Adelaide Spina and Giacomo Coletta for their valuable technical support during the preparation and presentation of the projects.
The future of artificial intelligence will not depend only on how advanced our technologies become, but on how responsibly we choose to build and use them.
