FutureShots 2025: The Pop Side of Innovation | May 24 | H-FARM

Innovation Events: FutureShots 2025One of the leading AI & tech events in Italy, FutureShots is our annual innovation festival. On May 23–24, thousands of entrepreneurs, companies, startups, and researchers gathered at our Campus near Venice.The theme of this 7th edition is the new humanism in the AI era.Main partner: AudiFutureShots 2025: The Pop Side of Innovation | May 24Workshops, demos, and informal meetings on the connection between technology and creativity, covering topics like space art, music, video, 3D printing, robots, and more.

Saving History with the Tech of the FutureArianna Traviglia, Coordinator of the Center for Cultural Heritage Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia)Today’s archaeology works with AI, 3D models, semantic graphs, intelligent networks, satellites, drones, and robots—technologies that are transforming how we explore, protect, and interpret the past. LiDAR scans can map hidden structures beneath forests or modern cities, as seen in the rediscovery of the ancient Maya city of Caracol. Multispectral satellite imaging helps identify buried or submerged sites, a method already used in Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia. And there are robots capable of entering fragile areas like the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, gathering data without causing damage.Even as the tools become more advanced, the core challenge remains the same: making sense of scattered traces from the past before they disappear for good.3D Printing at Home? The Future Is at Your DoorstepGreta Galli, Maker, Content Creator, and Science CommunicatorAt 22, Greta has already shown thousands of young people that technology is a language anyone can learn. Her passion for robotics started in her grandfather’s garage, surrounded by screwdrivers and LEGO bricks, tools she later used to build Cyborg3, a robotic hand that went viral. She went on to collaborate with programs like Girls Code It Better and even produced over 3,000 3D-printed braces for hospitals in Ukraine.3D printing, electronics, and coding can be powerful tools for education, if taught with passion and authenticity. That’s exactly the approach she brings into the classroom every day, not just as a creator, but as a teacher.The Augmented Author: Invention, Imperfection, and PresenceCarlo De Togni, Owner, AI Filmmaker, and Producer at Mondo Novo & Runway Creative PartnerAI can generate images, sounds, and stories, but not everything it produces feels truly alive. What makes the difference is the creator’s intent and their willingness to push beyond what’s predictable. Even glitches, errors, and unexpected outcomes can become powerful creative triggers—sometimes surprising, sometimes unsettling. In Carlo’s films—like Murano Chronicles, which reimagines the art of Murano glass through a lens of digital magic, or The Illusionist Dilemma, where Houdini meets Méliès in a dreamlike theater—AI becomes a tool to bend narrative rules, spark visual disruptions, and surface emotions you didn’t see coming.Telemedicine & PreventionMarcello Ruspi, Vascular Surgeon and Founder of CSP TelemedicineMore and more, healthcare is moving beyond hospital walls. Thanks to smart wearables and connected platforms, it’s now possible to monitor patients remotely and in real time. Solutions like VitalPatch, a medical-grade patch that tracks ECG, temperature, oxygen levels, and posture, or the Infinity Watch, a smartwatch designed for high-risk environments or vulnerable patients with built-in GPS, SOS button, and automatic fall detection, are already in use.The goal is simple: catch problems before they become emergencies. It’s a model of the “Internet of Humans”, a more responsive, efficient, and sustainable way to care.AI Art in the Algorithm EraRebecca Pedrazzi, Art Historian and Critic Focused on AI, Independent Curator, and JournalistAI-generated art isn’t entirely new, but today it’s at the heart of a deeper shift. From early computer art experiments in the 1960s to today’s practices involving GANs, blockchain, NFTs, and complex generative systems, the tools have changed—but the real questions are still about meaning. What makes an image truly significant? Can we still talk about authorship?Artists like Mario Klingemann, Refik Anadol, and Giuliana Cuneaz show how AI can be a way to explore new expressive spaces, where memory, data, and vision intersect. In these practices, the artist is no longer just the one who creates, but also the one who selects, codes, and orchestrates.Beyond Superstar Cities: Innovation Where You Least Expect ItGiulio Buciuni, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Trinity College DublinItaly is built on small and medium-sized enterprises, but this model is starting to show its limits: low productivity, limited innovation, and a growing gap between cities and more rural areas. But there’s an alternative path: plug-in companies, businesses born in industrial districts, often founded by former researchers, that focus on real innovation, attract investment, and stay connected to their local ecosystems. They’re not chasing unicorn status, but they work and they work well. The goal is to turn every district into a mini entrepreneurial ecosystem, where universities, traditional industry, and startups collaborate. Innovation, yes—but without always needing to look toward Milan, Berlin, or London.Beyond the Game: Innovation & Data in the Sport of the FutureCarolina Chiappero, Innovation Manager at Juventus Football ClubSoccer is about passion, tradition, and intuition. And data. Performance analysis, predictive algorithms, machine learning—sport is evolving, on and off the pitch. But to make it work, there needs to be a culture that welcomes technology without losing the soul of the game. In this spirit, Juventus launched FORWARD, a lab, a co-creation space, and a bridge between the Club and the wider innovation ecosystem. Its mission is to positively drive change by exploring, testing, and accelerating new ideas that can shape the future of the sport.From Prompt to Playlist: How AI Is Rewriting MusicJan Nava, University Growth Specialist at Suno and AI Consultant for SMEsWho’s going to write our next favorite song? With artificial intelligence, music can now be generated from scratch in just seconds, but that doesn’t mean creativity has disappeared. In 2024, 60% of musicians used AI for tasks like mastering, composition, or artwork creation, and the AI music market is projected to reach $6.2 billion by 2025.But beyond the tech, there’s a cultural shift underway. AI challenges core ideas like originality, authenticity, and intellectual property. Still, the real question lingers in the background: what truly moves us in a song? And if the emotion comes from a machine, does it matter?Going to Space to Understand EarthHady Milani, Director of the Space Entrepreneurship Program at the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability, interviewed by Anilkumar Dave, mentor at the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and independent expert at the National Institute for Quantum Science and TechnologySpace is no longer just a frontier for astronauts and space agencies. It’s becoming fertile ground for innovation, creativity, and social impact, right here on Earth. Satellites help track climate change, space-grade materials find everyday applications, and the imagination space inspires pushes us to think beyond the usual boundaries.This shift calls for hybrid profiles, people who can connect engineering, business, design, and storytelling. In this light, space is a new lens to better understand it and build fresh solutions for the world we live in.Diagnosis, Data, and Decisions: When Medicine Becomes IntelligentDiana Ferro, Research Biologist Executive at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital & Executive Board Member of the Italian Society for AI in MedicineArtificial intelligence is now part of daily clinical practice, even in pediatric hospitals. At Bambino Gesù, for example, predictive models are used to remotely monitor children with chronic conditions, assess the risk of clinical deterioration, and adjust treatments based on each patient’s individual profile. In diabetes care, AI supports weekly remote check-ins, helping optimize therapies through real-time data sharing and analysis. But for all this to truly work, a solid organizational framework is essential: high-quality data, validated tools, strong security, and clear governance.The World Changes in SilenceOtto Climan, Content Creator & DesignerWhen we talk about technology, we often focus on major revolutions. But our lives are filled with smaller, quirky, sometimes even useless tech objects, yet they’ve profoundly shaped how we live, communicate, and think. From the Théâtrophone, a kind of 19th-century streaming service, to VODER, the first voice synthesizer; from companion robots like Aibo to experimental AR headsets like Damocles; and iconic gadgets like the Motorola DynaTac 8000X and the Game Boy—this journey reveals something simple: we grow attached to technology because it reflects who we are. Behind every piece of tech, there’s a story of desire and identity.Human-Robot Interaction Through Human EyesAgnieszka Wykowska, Coordinator of the Center for Human Technologies (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia)When a robot looks us in the eyes, mirrors our movements, or responds in sync with our actions, we tend to attribute intentions, emotions, even personality. But that reaction doesn’t happen automatically; it depends on how the interaction is built and how much we feel seen and engaged.At the Center for Human Technologies at IIT, researchers combine cognitive neuroscience and social robotics to study how elements like eye contact, shared attention, and response timing shape our perception of “the other”, even when that other is a machine. Understanding what happens in our minds when we interact with a robot is key to designing technologies that feel intuitive and human-aware.“The Sea Beyond 5”: AI, Storytelling, and FanbaseElena Capparelli, Director of Rai Play and Digital at Rai, Davide Bartolucci, CEO of SHADO, and actresses Rebecca Mogavero (Marta) and Elisa Tonelli (Sonia)For the launch of The Sea Beyond 5, the Italian public broadcasting company Rai explored a new approach: integrating artificial intelligence into the storytelling itself. The project, developed by our media company SHADO, introduced 5 AI-generated virtual fans who recapped previous seasons, commented on characters, and offered early hints about the upcoming episodes. These avatars weren’t just marketing tools, they acted as narrative activators, engaging directly with the community and expanding the show’s emotional universe. This marks a shift toward a more immersive, participatory kind of serial storytelling.