Post by Francesco Puddu

I spent this week immersed in machine learning at SDA Bocconi. We covered models, data preparation, evaluation methods, governance principles, and the full ML lifecycle. I will have material to work on for the next several weeks and solid directions on how to channel my appetite for technical depth and data. What stayed with me immediately after the week ended was the need to revisit how we think about creativity, intention, agency, and even identity in the age of AI. Most of what we call ‘AI’ today isn’t new. It’s a predictable evolution of statistical models that have existed for years, now made more accessible. The interesting part is not what the systems produce, but what their existence reveals about us. We project intention where there is only pattern recognition. We tolerate human mistakes but reject the same mistakes when made by a machine. We look for identity and originality even when none is present. These reactions say more about human psychology than about artificial intelligence. What changed for me this week is simple: more knowledge, less fear. AI is neither a miracle nor a threat. It is a tool that forces us to clarify concepts we usually take for granted. What matters now is to stay curious, stay informed, and avoid both extremes: over-excitement and unnecessary alarmism. Thanks to the dedicated faculty (Maurizio Poli, Renata Trinca Colonel, Daniele Tonini, Michele Russo, Luca Molteni) for an approach that was inspiring and engaged. Thanks also to all the guest speakers and to my classmates, whose strong commitment to the topic, especially while working together on the assignments, made the week even more valuable. #machinelearning #ai #business #neverstoplearning