Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly present in professional settings, research and university education. But what does working with these tools actually mean? What skills are needed to develop and use them effectively? And what role can younger generations play in building an informed relationship between people and intelligent technologies?
To explore these questions, we spoke with Amirreza M. Gheisari, a student on the Master’s Degree Programme in Digital Humanities at the University of Genoa, who is carrying out his thesis project at CIMA Research Foundation under the supervision of Mirko D’Andrea, the Foundation’s focal point for the use and development of Artificial Intelligence.
The work originates from Dewetra Copilot, a prototype that explores the use of natural language to support access to information and interaction with Dewetra, the application developed by CIMA Research Foundation for the Italian Department of Civil Protection and dedicated to natural hazard monitoring, forecasting and management. By integrating observational data, forecasting models and analytical tools, Dewetra supports warning, monitoring and event-assessment activities and is currently one of the main operational tools supporting civil protection activities in Italy.
This experience also provides an opportunity to reflect on the value of interdisciplinarity, the evolving skills required by the labour market and the role that artificial intelligence can play as a tool supporting human activities.
From Digital Humanities to Artificial Intelligence
For Amirreza, the path towards this project began at the intersection of different interests. Following an educational background already closely connected to digital design and human–computer interaction, his decision to pursue a Master’s degree in Digital Humanities was driven by a desire to explore the technological dimension of digital systems and gain a better understanding of how digital tools and artificial intelligence work.
“I was interested in the possibility of seeing technology not merely as a technical tool, but as something that interacts with people, communication and specific contexts of use.”
This interest grew stronger throughout his university studies and found a concrete opportunity for development through his encounter with CIMA Research Foundation.
A thesis at the intersection of research, technology and risk management
While studying at the Savona Campus, Amirreza had the opportunity to become closely acquainted with the Foundation and its work in the fields of natural hazard monitoring, civil protection and environmental event management.
The opportunity to carry out his thesis in this context allowed him to combine his interest in artificial intelligence with his focus on the interaction between people and complex systems, leading to the development of the Dewetra Copilot project.
The main challenge was not simply to add a conversational assistant to an existing platform, but to explore how natural language could facilitate access to a system containing a wide range of data, forecasting models and analytical tools, without oversimplifying the operators’ work.
“The issue was not simply to add a chatbot, but to design an assistant capable of helping users find their way through the platform, suggesting clear steps and ensuring that human operators always retain control over decisions. To achieve this objective, a fundamental part of the work focused on understanding real operational processes. Through discussions with Mirko D’Andrea and the emergency operations room staff, I gained a deeper understanding of how information is searched for, interpreted and used during monitoring and decision-support activities.”
The value of interdisciplinarity
It is precisely at this stage that the value of an interdisciplinary approach becomes clear. Digital skills helped to provide an understanding of the platform’s structure, the functioning of natural language-based assistants and the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. Humanities and design skills, meanwhile, proved essential for understanding user needs, identifying potential difficulties and designing clearer and more transparent interactions.
“A project such as Dewetra Copilot is not only about technology, but also about how people understand, control and use a complex system.”
Skills for the informed use of AI
The experience also provided an opportunity to reflect on the role that artificial intelligence can play in education and everyday professional activities.
From this perspective, Amirreza refers to the concept of Natural Language Programming, an approach that uses natural language not only to query artificial intelligence, but also to guide its reasoning, define problems, establish evaluation criteria, verify results and reflect on the process followed to reach a solution.
Rather than focusing exclusively on the output produced by AI, this approach draws attention to the cognitive process and to the user’s active role in controlling and guiding the machine’s reasoning.
“The most important skill is not simply knowing how to use these tools, but knowing how to engage with them consciously while always maintaining a critical perspective. Artificial intelligence can help us explore ideas, organise information, compare different solutions and address complex problems. However, it is essential to understand how its responses are constructed, what assumptions they contain and what limitations they may have.”
For this reason, the skills he considers most important for younger generations include critical thinking, the ability to formulate clear questions, source verification, the comparison of different perspectives and ethical awareness.
“AI can be a useful interlocutor, but responsibility for the reasoning process must always remain human.”
Building bridges between disciplines
Looking at the experience as a whole, Amirreza emphasises that his work at CIMA Research Foundation has helped him better understand what it means to develop a real-world applied artificial intelligence project, in which usability, transparency, safety and the role of the user are just as important as the technological component.
Perhaps the most significant outcome, however, is the greater awareness he has developed of the value of his own interdisciplinary background. This path has shown him that it is possible to build bridges between different fields and address complex problems through complementary perspectives.
“This experience has shown me that my interdisciplinary background can be a strength, because it allows me to look at problems from multiple perspectives and build bridges between different fields. I would therefore like to thank Professor Giovanni Adorni, who helped me approach the field of artificial intelligence and develop this thesis project. I would also like to thank Mirko D’Andrea for his guidance and our ongoing discussions within CIMA Research Foundation, as well as Federica Martini, Elisabetta Fiori and Fabio Violante for the time they devoted to sharing their operational experience during emergency situations. The contribution of all these people was essential in helping me better understand the context, explore user needs and transform an initial project idea into a concrete proposal.”