It is not the algorithm that decides for us. Or at least, not entirely. This was the starting point of the fourth edition of Leggere il presente, the SDA Bocconi Roma book club, dedicated to the relationship between technology, individual responsibility and the functioning of contemporary democracies.

The event was opened by Gimede Gigante, Director of the Rome Campus, who placed at the centre a key question: to what extent is it appropriate to attribute to algorithms the responsibility for choices and behaviours that concern people? The discussion was built around this shift in perspective, with the aim of understanding how much space we have to reclaim responsibility for our actions in a context where technologies are increasingly pervasive.

On these issues, Antonio Palmieri, co-founder and President of Fondazione Pensiero Solido and author of Non è colpa dell’algoritmo! Idee per usare bene la nostra libertà nell’era digitale (Egea), engaged in discussion with Diego Ciulli, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google Italy, Sara Bentivegna, Full Professor of Political Communication at Sapienza University of Rome, and Roberto Basso, Director of External Affairs and Sustainability at Wind Tre, offering perspectives from institutional, academic and corporate contexts.

At the centre of the discussion was the role of individuals within the digital ecosystem. As Palmieri pointed out, “algorithms work above all because we feed them”: a perspective that shifts the focus from technology to individual responsibility. This view was echoed by Diego Ciulli, who stressed that the impact of platforms is not predetermined, but depends on how they are used. To assume that technology produces automatic effects means overlooking the weight of individual behaviours and social dynamics.

From here, attention turned to one of the most debated issues of recent years: polarisation. The idea that it is a product of social networks was questioned, as identities and opposing views have always existed. Digital platforms, rather, make them more visible and bring them into contact with one another, exposing users to viewpoints that differ from their own.

Within this framework, Sara Bentivegna highlighted how the relationship with algorithms is not purely passive. “The algorithm is a mechanism for reducing complexity”: it selects content, guides choices and helps manage an ever-expanding flow of information. This is also why it is widely used and accepted by users. So-called “bubbles” are therefore not only an external constraint, but the result of a balance between the functioning of platforms and individual choices.

Alongside these opportunities, risks also emerged. Roberto Basso underlined how the possibility of targeting messages to specific groups, without exposure to public scrutiny, introduces elements of vulnerability into democratic systems. The issue is not technology itself, but how it can be used, including to spread unverified or manipulated information.

The different contributions converged on this central tension: avoiding both technological determinism and a purely individual interpretation of the problem. While it is essential to recognise the role of personal choices, it is equally clear that increasingly powerful tools require a framework of shared rules and responsibilities. In recent years, regulation has progressively expanded, though not always with conclusive results; at the same time, some measures — such as introducing age limits for access to social media — can help mitigate risks by creating “frictions” that guide behaviour.

The discussion ultimately outlined a landscape in which the challenge is not to find a single solution, but to build a balance between freedom, responsibility and regulation. The question at the heart of the event therefore remains open: not so much to identify a single actor in charge, but to understand where the game is played and what room for action we still have.

Leggere il presente is an ongoing series that uses books as a starting point for discussion of the transformations shaping contemporary Italy. To find out about upcoming events, visit the SDA Bocconi Roma events calendar.

SDA Bocconi School of Management