From Starlink to fake news, via the digital revolution: the Pisa Internet Festival returns from October 9 to 12
Once again this year, the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is among the institutions supporting the event. The complete program and initiatives involving the School
Who are we when we look at ourselves in our smartphone screens? What remains of our identity when algorithms and artificial intelligence predict our behavior before we even think about it? How can we guide technological development by focusing on what makes us truly human? These are some of the issues that will be explored at the next edition of the Internet Festival – Forms of the Future. The event, which, as usual, explores the link between our society and digital innovation, will return to Pisa from October 9 to 12 for its 15th edition, under the direction of Claudio Giua. Four days to address the great ethical challenge of our time through the lens of ‘Identity’, the keyword of this edition, featuring dozens of events with almost 100 national and international guests, who will bring to life 13 symbolic locations in the city: universities, museums, conference centers, cinemas and, once again, after a few years, the Verdi Theater in Pisa.
Among the most eagerly awaited guests this year are Riccardo De Gaudenzi, head of the European Space Agency's Electrical Engineering Department until 2023, who will speak at a talk dedicated to satellite connections, with particular reference to the Starlink system; Adriano Bacconi, match analysis guru, protagonist of an event on the new frontiers of soccer; sociolinguist Vera Gheno, one of the most authoritative voices on language in the social media era; Stefano Nazzi, author of “Indagini,” one of the most popular Italian podcasts; Fumettibrutti, with the reading “Identità ed integrità – Conoscersi per riconoscersi” (Identity and Integrity – Knowing Yourself to Recognize Yourself) for a first-person account of her “breaking down” to rebuild herself; Esperance Hakuzwimana, who, with her book “Tra i bianchi di scuola” (Among the Whites at School), offers her perspective on the evolution of the origins, roots, and identity of the Italian student population; Michelangelo Coltelli, founder of “Bufale un tanto al chilo” (Fake News by the Kilogram), one of the first Italian websites dedicated to fact-checking; and many others. There will be numerous events open to the public (with free admission) to explore the theme of #Identity, which in the digital age and with artificial intelligence is increasingly fluid, fragmented, and constantly evolving.
Internet Festival 2025 is promoted by the Region of Tuscany, the Municipality of Pisa, Registro .it and the Institute of Informatics and Telematics of the National Research Council, the University of Pisa, the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, the Scuola Normale Superiore, together with the Chamber of Commerce of North-West Tuscany, the Province of Pisa, and the Science Festival Association. The design and organization are by Fondazione Sistema Toscana.
The full program is available on the Festival website: https://www.internetfestival.it/
The contribution of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is one of the institutions supporting the Festival, hosting some of the events at its headquarters in Piazza Martiri della Libertà and, above all, presenting interactive demonstrations and educational courses, the result of the research activities of the two Academic Classes, Social Sciences and Experimental Sciences.
The program with which the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies participates in the Internet Festival was coordinated by the two delegates of the rector Nicola Vitiello, the associate professor of Telecommunications Nicola Sambo and the researcher of the Dirpolis Institute Gaia Fiorinelli. At the press conference on Thursday, September 25, at the Tuscany Regional Government, the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies was represented by Nicola Sambo.
From the digitization of public services to digital identity on the internet, from technology and sport as tools for inclusion to how gender stereotypes can be broken down, from augmented reality to the internet from space. These are some of the themes at the heart of the activities carried out by the Sant'Anna School within the Internet Festival (all initiatives can be viewed here).
One of the new features is the T-TOUR educational courses, teaching activities that allow young people to explore the digital universe through interactive workshops, educational games, and immersive experiences.
The Sant'Anna School participates in the T-TOUR courses with the HAIREMI project, funded by the European Space Agency, which offers an inclusive experience through sport and technology; with Dall'Account all'Avatar (From Account to Avatar), an interactive journey through digital identities, online risks, and tools for protecting yourself on the internet; with Fashion & Hi-Tech, a fashion designer workshop organized in collaboration with the Modartech Institute; with Hack the Stereotype, an interactive workshop that breaks down gender stereotypes in the digital world; with Vita da Influencer (Life as an Influencer), tips for managing your digital identity; with Realtà aumentata e intelligenza di rete per missioni di ispezione (Augmented Reality and Network Intelligence for Inspection Missions), an interactive demo presenting an augmented reality application designed for surveillance and inspection missions; with An IoT-based Smart Helmet for Emergency Health Monitoring, a live demonstration of real-time support in critical scenarios.
Scuola Sant'Anna is also participating in a series of events focusing on the future of technology and the protection of the rights of citizens who surf the net: ‘The digitization of public services, skills, and professionals,’ 'Internet from Space: the new frontier of connectivity,‘ 'The identity of the enterprise in the digital world.’
