A multitude of functions

Generative AI adapts to multiple needs, serving as both a practical assistant and a source of creativity. Depending on the professional field and user’s needs, GenAI performs different functions:

• It speeds up processes: it facilitates the implementation of proposals or the translation of texts, making operational tasks faster and more efficient.
• It fills skill gaps: it provides additional support, giving users the equivalent of a virtual work team giving them “extra muscle” to handle daily tasks.

In addition to being a dynamic encyclopedia, unlike Google Search, Generative AI supports users in other ways:

• It elevates and enhances ideas: it stimulates new inspiration and provides fresh creative input, helping to generate innovative solutions.
• It enriches knowledge: it expands a user’s skill set, taking them to new levels of ambition and creativity.

Artificial intelligence can be viewed from two very different perspectives depending on how it is used: as an efficient secretary or as a brilliant friend.

For some, AI is the ideal “secretary,” tasked with handling all the tedious and repetitive tasks that you do not feel like doing, such as answering emails, organizing administrative tasks, or automating routine processes. In this context, AI becomes a productivity tool that reduces the workload and allows you to focus on more important tasks.

I don’t use it on scientific topics or science in general because I like to do that. I use it as if it were in my secretary. — Corinna

For others, AI is a “brilliant friend,” a creative companion that inspires new ideas and helps explore innovative solutions. In this role, AI is used not only to speed up work, but also to enrich the creative process by providing original insights and supporting out-of-the-box thinking.

AI gives me a lot of background material for my work and enriches the creative part exponentially. — Elisa

Artificial intelligence is becoming an indispensable everyday tool for speeding up work, especially in routine tasks or the simplest and most repetitive operations. For all those tasks that one does not feel like doing or that would take up valuable time, AI steps in, automating processes and making it possible to achieve a satisfactory result quickly and efficiently.

This approach allows more energy and attention to be devoted to the strategic or creative aspects of a task while AI handles the more fundamental parts. Basically, AI becomes an ally in tackling less-challenging tasks, optimizing daily productivity without sacrificing quality.

Time, especially when preparing quotes for my clients, is the biggest benefit I get from using AI. — Matteo

Artificial intelligence can reshape the way you work, giving you the feeling that a team of experts is always right there for you. With AI, specialized expertise that would otherwise require dedicated professionals is always on hand.

Whether it’s advanced data analytics, content creation, design optimization, or complex process management, AI bridges skill gaps and enables you to tackle a wide range of challenges without requiring external resources. We could say that Gen AI is redefining what is possible at the individual level, transforming tasks once considered “systemic” and the domain of large organizations or specialized teams into tasks that anyone can undertake. This tool, now within everyone’s reach, enables individuals to tackle complex projects such as advanced data analytics, process automation, or large-scale content creation that were previously considered too large or complex for any one individual.

The barriers are lowered for the individual, who can tackle very large projects without needing an organization or resources they can’t afford.

I use AI when there’s something I can’t do on my own: taking photos, having a photo set, etc. So, I can be completely self-sufficient in my work. — Elisa

Artificial intelligence can be considered an “extra muscle” that enhances human capabilities, allowing one to go beyond one’s traditional skills. With AI, it’s possible to tackle creative or design challenges in unfamiliar areas, opening up opportunities for exploration that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. This is because AI facilitates rapid experimentation, allowing new ideas or solutions to be tested without the need to master complex technical skills. In addition, AI reduces the barriers to accessing specialized knowledge, making it easier to interact with advanced tools and achieve results in fields that require specific expertise. This expands the possibilities for innovation, enabling rapid collaboration and prototyping of new ideas.

Artificial intelligence and Google are different tools with complementary capabilities, each addressing specific needs.

• Level One: Google, as a search engine, provides instant access to up-to-date, continuously indexed information from the Web. It is ideal for those who need to quickly find current data or explore a wide range of sources in real-time. AI, on the other hand, does not have direct access to the latest information on the web, but it excels at providing quick and clear summaries of large amounts of pre-existing data, allowing for essential information and immediate answers on general topics.
• Second level: When a deeper understanding is needed, AI becomes a starting point for further exploration. The user can use AI to get an overview of a topic and then dig deeper using Google or other up-to-date sources. In this way, more nuanced knowledge can be built by integrating AI’s synthesis and analysis with Google’s in-depth and up-to-date research.

Using artificial intelligence as if it were Google can lead to suboptimal results because the two tools are designed to meet different needs. Getting the most out of AI means understanding its creative and analytical potential, as well as its limitations with respect to updating information. Integrating AI and search engines allows for a more holistic approach to learning, where AI supports synthesis and creativity, while Google provides access to the latest news and insights.

It is a booster that needs to be guided. Google already gives you access to everything, but if there are topics you are not an expert on, it can be misleading. You have to know how to handle it. — Corinna

Artificial intelligence is becoming a powerful tool for disciplinary cross-pollination, allowing users to explore methods and approaches beyond their usual scope. Through AI, practitioners and creatives can draw on practices and techniques from other disciplines to enrich their own projects and broaden their skills.

This “contamination” process makes it possible to experiment with new solutions, combine different ideas, and approach unfamiliar worlds that would otherwise be out of reach. Artificial intelligence thus becomes a bridge to interdisciplinary innovation, fostering creativity and innovation by bringing together different knowledge and approaches, enabling continuous growth and hybridization of skills.

On the business side, AI becomes a key ally in projects, providing insights and suggestions that enrich the work and offer unexpected and innovative approaches. Whether exploring new ideas or refining an existing concept, artificial intelligence expands creative possibilities.

When I’m in the experimental stage, it helps a lot; I get instant results. I can try many different options and test different styles without needing a lot of technical resources. — Gabriele

Artificial intelligence is proving to be a tool that boosts ambition, forcing users out of their comfort zone and beyond their current level.

The ability to quickly test ideas and solutions facilitates faster progress, fostering continuous growth and personal and professional improvement. So, not only does AI make you more efficient, but it also encourages you to aim higher and explore innovation more easily

For me, efficiency is a matter of ambition: Having so many possibilities, the tool gives me an ambition boost, I can do a lot of things and come up with countless alternatives. It boosts my ambition; it is not a shortcut! It also allows you to do more complex things. — Gabriele