Improvements in the way we work and in the way we live follow different trajectories. In recent years, digital tools have made many activities faster and more flexible, reducing travel and saving time, while hyperconnectivity has gradually extended work into every moment of the day. Artificial intelligence is accelerating this transformation, making it even more important to understand how technology can be used without compromising attention, judgment and the quality of relationships.

At the eleventh edition of Leggere il presente, SDA Bocconi Roma’s Book Club, Alberto Gennari, Founder & CEO, WeOne, and author of Innovation Rhapsody - Strumenti, ispirazioni e armonie per lavorare e vivere meglio (Scheiwiller - 24 ORE Cultura), discussed these topics with Alberto Grando, Professor of Operations & Supply Chain Management, SDA Bocconi School of Management, engaging the audience through real-time polls.

The conversation highlighted the effects of remote work and hyperconnectivity on everyday life. The ability to work from anywhere has increased autonomy but, at the same time, blurred the boundary between work and private life. Messages, calls and notifications disrupt concentration, while some of the informal opportunities to learn by observing a colleague, working with a client or tackling a problem together are lost. Grando emphasized the value of this tacit knowledge, which is particularly important for those at the beginning of their careers. A shared purpose and collaboration help guide changes that affect individuals before they affect organizations.

With artificial intelligence, remaining relevant increasingly depends on the depth of one’s knowledge and the quality of one’s critical thinking. Asking effective questions, interpreting answers and recognizing potential errors require skills that are becoming increasingly central as the use of technology grows. Gennari described “atrophied intelligence” as the risk of gradually delegating cognitive tasks. AI thus becomes an amplifier of both the strengths and limitations of those who use it.

Automation is also changing how young people enter the world of work. Analysis, research and document preparation, activities through which junior professionals once built experience, can now be completed by a machine in a matter of minutes. Companies and universities will therefore need to rethink learning pathways together and prepare young people to take on more advanced responsibilities. This challenge is compounded by the risk that data, knowledge and opportunities may become concentrated in the hands of a few, increasing polarization and inequality. Training, rules and ethical principles will be crucial to governing this transformation and sharing its benefits. Innovating for a better life will require tools to evolve alongside people and organizations.

Leggere il presente is an ongoing series that uses books as a starting point for discussions on the transformations shaping contemporary Italy.