Artificial intelligence is changing communication. But is it improving the quality of how we communicate, or is it simply making content production faster?

Starting from these questions, the joint meeting of the Gender Equality and Communication Communities of Practice took place on June 30 at CasArcobaleno, a local hub and integrated service centre of public interest for the LGBTQIA+ community and the wider public.

The meeting was dedicated to the theme “AI and Communication: Ethics, Inclusion and People at the Centre”: an opportunity to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming languages, practices and communication processes, exploring both the opportunities and critical issues linked to its use in professional and organisational contexts, from a people-first perspective.

As introduced by Monica Cerutti, who leads the Community of Practice, this change does not only concern the speed or automation of content production, but the way we build meaning, trust, relationships and representations. AI can generate texts, images and complex outputs, but it is people who build relationships. This is why the concept of human in the loop is not about rejecting technology, but about the responsibility of those who design, choose, interpret and communicate.

Artificial intelligence does not possess values, experience or a deep understanding of contexts: it learns from data, and data can reflect stereotypes, imbalances, absences and discrimination. From this perspective, every word, image and communication choice continues to matter. AI tends to reproduce what is statistically more frequent; people, instead, can choose what is culturally more appropriate, building more inclusive and conscious representations.

The meeting was co-designed with Collettivo Freeco, , a collaborative freelancing organisation that promotes self-determination, plurality, sustainability and ethical working practices for freelance professionals. Allegra Caputo explored concrete examples and operational insights for a more conscious use of AI, also examining how these tools can support processes, services and projects capable of generating impact within the social fabric.

The discussion touched on several key aspects: the quality of inputs, according to the principle of garbage in, garbage out; attention to sensitive data and anonymisation processes; the risk of cognitive overload linked to the simultaneous use of too many tools; and the need to avoid using AI only to confirm one’s own ideas, instead using it to bring out critical issues, alternatives and blind spots.

Among the examples presented was Afroféminas GPT, an experiment developed by Antoniette Torres Soler starting from texts rooted in Black and decolonial thought: a case that shows how the design of AI systems can also be guided by precise cultural, political and ethical choices.

A moment of discussion among participants followed, offering space to share reflections, experiences and points of view inspired by the themes that emerged during the meeting.

The second part of the meeting was dedicated to the testimony of SynDiag, an Italian fem-tech company that develops AI-based medical devices. Created to strengthen the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer, the company places its technology at the service of innovation in women’s health.

The session featured Sabrina Scarpati, Sales & Business Development Manager, who presented the case of OvAi Focus, a CE-marked cloud-based medical software device that supports reporting through the processing of ultrasound videos and images. The device is based on three pillars:

• Digitalisation;
• Artificial intelligence;
• Telemedicine.

The goal is to improve access to gynaecological ultrasound examinations, the quality of diagnosis and the timeliness of response in complex cases.

One application already underway concerns the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, where the model contributes to improving the quality and completeness of reports, optimising outpatient management and making the patient pathway more efficient.

The meeting concluded with the presentation of Mind the Health Gap, a digital lab promoted by SynDiag and Idem – Mind The Gap, dedicated to women’s health as a driver of gender equality in the workplace.

The meeting confirmed that artificial intelligence cannot be addressed only as a technical issue. It is a cultural, organisational, ethical and democratic issue. The challenge is not simply to use AI better, but to understand how it can strengthen people’s ability to understand, participate and build communities.