Knowledge of UN SDGs. Understanding of the processes constituting the given global challenges (environmental costs, circular health, ecosystem services and biodiversity, technological solutions). Acquisition of the basic elements of the scientific method (falsifiability, repeatability, models, science dissemination). General knowledge of major technical elements related to the challenge “Technologies and Humanity”. At the end of the course, students will be able to: - Analyze different scenarios on the future of work in the field of Artificial Intelligence, automation and the fourth industrial revolution, evaluating opportunities and challenges - Formulate forecasts on the evolution of phenomena exploiting: - Their high-level understanding of the technology involved, and ability to estimate which developments are more or less plausible in the near future. - Their knowledge of the main theories that describe social and economic consequences (labor economics, management and economics of innovation, comparative political economy, social policy, decision sciences). - Their ability to suggest how these transformations might be governed and which policies might be adopted to favor a balanced transition, guaranteeing technological progress, economic growth, and social cohesion.

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A first introduction to all the “Big Challenges” courses (11.5 hours) will consist of: - The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - Four samples of global challenges needing an integrated approach: 1) Climate Change and the definition of Anthropocene; 2) One Health (i.e.: pandemics and ecology); 3) Biodiversity crisis (Sixth Extinction model); 4) Beyond Problem Solving: global crisis and the evolution of technologies. The specific challenge of Technologies and Humanity will then be detailed analyzing the technical elements of greatest social relevance (3 hours); the following 24 hours of lectures will be structured as follows: - The various industrial revolutions, up to the “fourth industrial revolution”, characterized by the use of artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning and the internet of things. - The differences between the various dimensions of recent technological change: artificial intelligence, computational intelligence, machine learning, etc. - The meaning of “Artificial Intelligence”, and how, despite the enthusiasm of mainstream media, such “intelligent processes” are nothing more than the result of simple numerical optimizations. - The main trends in the field of Machine Learning, and the more active fields of research. - The differences and similarities between the third industrial revolution (information revolution) and the fourth (digital revolution). How the organization of production processes is changing. - The effects on work of the recent technological innovations: skill-biased technological change and routine-biased technological change; economic convenience and social acceptability of the changes. - The decline of routine occupations in the digital revolution and its economic, social and political consequences, also in terms of job segmentation and increase/reduction of inequalities. - How to use Artificial Intelligence as a tool in decision-making, while leaving the final choice and its responsibility to humans. Where AI-based technologies are complementary and where, a substitute for human decision-making processes. Models of collaboration and specialization between man and machine / algorithm. - What has changed with the COVID pandemic. The acceleration of the adoption of new technologies and the effects on work, new segmentation and inequalities between individuals, occupations, genders, territories and areas of the world. - Are there more reasons to be optimistic or to be pessimistic about the next “revolution”? Students will also have to carry out a project, structured as follows. The instructors will identify some macro themes relating to the current and potential impact of technological change on certain areas of the economy and society relating to work, training, and production. Students will be divided into groups of about 6; each group will tackle a macro-theme and, under the guidance of the instructors, elaborate scenarios according to the specific inclinations of the students, including the analysis of the phenomenon and its context, its consequences, the possible public policy responses, or of collective actors. The instructors may involve experts available to meet the groups to share expertise, visions, and experiences. The project work shall include meetings with the entire class and the groups during class time; additional work will be carried out by groups and individuals outside class hours. Each group is requested to prepare a short video, which will be made available to the class. Selected videos will get additional points. In addition, each student is requested to submit a report detailing their individual contribution in carrying out the group project.

Out of 60 hours of teaching, 20% will be common to the “Big Challenges” courses and the specific challenge Technologies and Humanity; 40% will be devoted to lectures; 40% to the development of a project. Whenever possible, the lectures will be held by the three teachers together, to stimulate an interdisciplinary debate. For the project work, students will be divided into groups of about 6 and will have to develop scenarios in one of the macro-themes suggested by the instructors, analyzing pre-conditions, outcomes and responses

The bibliography for the part common to all "Big Challenges" courses is defined at the University level as follows: Books: - Jared Diamond, 1997, Armi, acciaio e malattie, Einaudi, Torino, 1998 (+ nuove edizioni) - Simon L. Lewis, Mark A. Maslin, 2018, Il pianeta umano, Einaudi, Torino, 2019. Articles: - David Morens, Anthony Fauci, 2020, "Emerging Pandemic Diseases: How We Got to COVID-19", in Cell, 182: 1077-1092. - Emily Elhacham, Liad Ben-Uri, Jonathan Grozovski, Yinon M. Bar-On & Ron Milo, 2020, "Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass", in Nature, 588: 442-444. The bibliography for the part common to all courses addressing the Technologies and Humanity challenge will be defined at the University level. The bibliography for the theoretical part of the Future of Work course will be indicated by the instructors during the course. Any bibliography for carrying out the projects will be suggested directly to the students involved.

Exam: Written test; Group project;

The overall grade is the weighted average of three components: - General part, common to all Big Challenges courses and the specific Technologies and Humanity challenge (20%) - Specific topics discussed during lectures (40%) - Project (40%) To pass the exam, the students must score at least 18/30 in each of the three components. The part related to Big Challenges and the specific Technologies and Humanity challenge is evaluated through closed questions. The part related to lectures is evaluated with a 60-minute written test, where students are asked to answer both closed and open questions. The evaluation of the project considers both the short video created by the group and the individual contribution to the project, as evidenced by the individual report. Member of groups whose videos have been selected will get additional points.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.