Community Notebook. People, Education and Welfare in the Society 5.0

Editorial

2025-07-22T14:56:21+00:00

Generative Artificial Intelligence, meaning construction and social networks: a sociological perspective

2025-02-03T09:51:49+00:00

On the role and prospects of AI, sociology offers significant theoretical and research contributions. First of all, in the study of the processes of negotiation and construction of meaning. AI would seem to be able to reduce the degree of uncertainty in the so-called liquid society, but it could generate a complexity linked to the comparison between an algorithmic logic and certain shared ethical values. Furthermore, studies on social networks should be mentioned, which are generated by interaction systems capable of influencing individual and collective conduct, starting from the most advanced developments in media communication, today governed by AI. Thus, society, as a network, would acquire an increasingly heuristic value in the interpretation of social processes. Finally, many studies concern the role of AI in social change, both in the broader context of sustainable development, and in the face of the possibility of rebalancing the differences between rich and poor countries, and still in the study of social differentiation of generational origin.

Artificial intelligence and literacy. Promoting a human-centric sociological approach to overcome prejudice and foster social inclusion

2025-02-04T07:18:28+00:00

Starting from a sociological analysis of the role of artificial intelligence in contemporary society, the essay focuses on digital literacy as the ability to use digital technologies efficiently and critically, in a way that promotes a conscious use of technologies and puts humans at the centre as agents endowed with consciousness, evaluation, and interpretation.

Reactivating reflexivity: towards an ethical-critical model of digital education

2024-12-24T16:21:17+00:00

The article proposes a model of critical digital education (CDL) to address the power dynamics of digital capitalism, highlighting the limitations of current digital literacy (DL). DL, traditionally geared towards the acquisition of technical skills for work, is criticised for its abstract and ideological approach, which ignores the socio-economic context. CDL, on the other hand, integrates critical analysis of the relationship between technologies and power, overcoming the adaptive logic of DL. This approach is grounded in Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy, which distinguishes between ‘depository’ and ‘problematising’ education. While the former conveys notions without context, the latter stimulates critical understanding, contextualising phenomena and unmasking their ideological foundations. Applied to the digital, CDL uses this perspective to deconstruct ideological narratives, such as the myth of algorithmic objectivity, and form conscious and active citizens. The article argues that CDL can act as a catalyst for a critical theory of digital capitalism, reactivating the reflexivity of subjects and fostering the construction of emancipatory utopias. In an era dominated by the myth of algorithmic objectivity and the compression of reflexive space, critical education becomes essential for rethinking the relationships between technology, society, and power.

Digital Transformations in Welfare: Artificial Intelligence and Social Services

2025-02-10T10:07:09+00:00

In recent years, artificial intelligence has emerged as one of the most transformative technologies of our time, leading to a reorganization of social relationships and a restructuring of the Welfare System. This makes it necessary to rethink social policies and services for people with disabilities and other fragilities. This study aims to analyze the impact of AI on decision-making processes and on the actions of social workers, assessing both the benefits and the potential risks.

A Model for Responsible Governance of human-centric AI in the Public Sector

2025-02-05T18:17:23+00:00

Responsible AI Governance in the Public Sector is no longer an option due to the numerous ethical issues that have emerged in recent years with the adoption of AI-based services in the Public Sector. Given the numerous challenges AI poses, it is essential to incorporate human- centric and social perspectives. This study discusses a framework model for defining the roles, responsibilities, and skills of all the stakeholders involved in the processes of AI development, deployment, and assessment.

AI and Democracy: the Role of the European Parliament in shaping the EU “AI Act”

2025-02-10T10:07:17+00:00

The paper aims at highlighting the political role played by the European Parliament in the drafting of the 2024 EU AI Act: placing it in an ethic and human-centred framework, focusing on regulating the impact of AI on democracy and guaranteeing its consistency with EU founding values. The research follows the “procedure file” process, analysing the reports of the EP special and internal committees. The goal is to define, also in comparison with the Council’s approach, the specific political vision which underpins the EP legislative action: the need to rethink the social contract at the heart of democracies, defining a new model of democratic governance built around technology.

AI and EU border management: an antropocentric approach for all?

2025-01-16T22:19:18+00:00

The essay analyses the forming lines of the EU’s approach to the development of artificial intelligence, from the 2017 European Parliament resolution to the recent AI Act and the concept of smart borders in the common migration policy. The aim is to highlight how similar instruments move in fact in opposite directions, creating profoundly different levels of rights protection for legal citizens and migrants on the one hand, and for so-called illegal migrants on the other.

Technological sovereignty and independence. The challenges and risks of “new” intelligence. A system assessment

2025-01-13T11:27:06+00:00

There is no doubt that the approach towards a “new” dimension of intelligence aimed at adding to human possibilities – in an attempt to amplify the capabilities and possibilities of processing behaviour, as well as information – will include and involve the existential sphere of the individual in his dimension as a person as well as in his organized manifestations as a political and economic subject. All this, in the different and new organizational architectures destined to manage, and therefore to govern, every future of the international community and, with it, of all humanity, redetermining new balances of power and new relationships between international political subjects. The challenge to the dominance of superintelligences, in the field of AI as in Quantum Computing, will determine new structures and new modes of governance which will have to correspond to new rules and new strategies aimed at not making international bargaining a dangerous opportunity for power policies aimed at conquering technological supremacy in a model of technopolar international system.

A human-centric approach to artificial intelligence: ethical, social and economic challenges

2025-01-21T11:17:16+00:00

The article explores a human-centric approach to artificial intelligence (AI), examining its ethical, pedagogical, and social implications through the perceptions of TFA students. The objective is to define guidelines for a sustainable and responsible use of AI that integrates fundamental values, promotes educational and social well- being, and critically addresses the challenges posed by automation.

Bridging expectations and realities: the future socio- economic impact of AI

2025-01-21T11:18:39+00:00

This study examines the disconnection between social expectations and corporate investment strategies in AI to understand how economic and technological choices are oriented to meet the population’s needs. Through the analysis of international surveys and recent reports, we explore whether corporate investments respond to social needs and propose the need for a change of perspective towards human-centred AI.

Balancing Innovation and Equity: an Analysis of the European AI Act

2025-01-21T11:17:59+00:00

This section illustrates the regulatory logic of the European AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, providing a systematic introduction through the precautionary principle framework. The analysis begins with the artificial intelligence definition contained in Article 3, highlighting the technical and philosophical criticalities characterizing such systems: from overfitting and data bias problems to the epistemological problem of induction in predictive inferences. The section demonstrates how the European legislator structured a normative response to technological uncertainty through a risk classification system articulated on four progressive levels: from expressly prohibited practices to high-risk systems, down to limited-risk and minimal-risk systems, each subject to differentiated obligations and controls.

Personal Data Protection, Artificial Intelligence and Automatic Translators

2025-01-21T11:16:51+00:00

Artificial intelligence may seem to threaten professional translators, but the pitfalls, on closer examination, concern other aspects, such as the delicate issue of personal data processing. Thus, if the human translator can use AI for translation under certain conditions, this should be done by assessing the personal data contained in the text and the specific processing methods that are guaranteed by each tool.

Participatory Approaches for the Transition from Automation to Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Case Study

2025-01-21T11:18:15+00:00

To balance technological progress with worker well-being, it is essential to maintain human-centered spaces for participation and integrate traditional safety programs with health promotion initiatives that empower workers. This study presents a participatory workshop conducted in an Italian automotive company, where workers, managers, and experts collaborated to improve working conditions, taking into consideration AI-based solutions as well. Through experience mapping and structured dialogue, concrete solutions emerged to optimize processes and enhance well-being. The results indicate improvements in work organization and interpersonal relationships, fostering greater trust in technological change. A participatory approach is a key strategy for integrating AI technologies fairly and inclusively, enhancing decision- making and worker engagement.

Generative artificial intelligence in education: towards a human-centric approach

2025-01-21T11:18:22+00:00

The introduction of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) technologies into the field of education is one of the most significant and debated developments in recent years. The contribution intends to provide a critical analysis of benefits and challenges related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to guide educators, policymakers, and stakeholders in making informed decisions about JHA in the educational system. The presentation of application examples of AI educational technologies, to be used to empower teaching and learning processes, paves the way for new ways of interaction and educational support, from a perspective of inclusiveness and pedagogical innovation that always promotes a human- centred approach.

A pluralistic approach to artificial intelligence: ethical and educational challenges in educational institutions

2025-02-20T16:07:11+00:00

The study examines the perceptions of teachers and administrative staff in a comprehensive school in Sardinia, highlighting disparities in digital skills and the urgent need for targeted training. It emphasizes the potential of AI to personalize learning and optimize administrative processes, while addressing risks related to privacy, bias, and technological dependency. The research proposes an ethical and integrated approach to foster inclusivity and sustainability in educational contexts.

Artificial intelligence in education: an analysis of Italian students

2025-01-21T11:16:06+00:00

Artificial Intelligence is now present in everyday activities; the educational sector is an example. The most substantial impact concerns the academic experience of young adults, who increasingly integrate it into their study practices. The contribution shows the preliminary results of a study involving the administration of a short survey in which female university students participated, which aimed to determine their perceptions of using Artificial Intelligence systems in their educational processes. These results indicate that although Artificial Intelligence systems are used daily by the respondents, who generally take an average positive attitude towards this topic, the functionalities used are still limited, while doubts and fears are numerous.