Professional excellence
Education, credential frameworks, and continuous training set the bar. Members hold themselves to verifiable competencies and a written code of conduct.
AI courses with the European digital credential, taught in Italian: Base and Advanced, live online. See dates and fees
AI courses taught in Italian: dates and fees About AIPIA
The institutional home for AI practitioners in Italy
AIPIA (Associazione Italiana Professionisti dell'Intelligenza Artificiale) is Italy's first and largest non-profit professional association for AI practitioners. We represent the profession, set ethical standards, award European-recognised credentials, and bridge Italian AI expertise with international AI networks.
Our story
Built for a profession that did not have a home
AIPIA was founded on 23 May 2025 from a straightforward observation: Italy's growing community of artificial intelligence professionals had no institutional representation. Engineers, researchers, consultants, and academics worked across ministries, universities, multinationals, and start-ups, but no single body advocated for them, defined ethical standards, or awarded recognised credentials.
The association was constituted as a non-profit under Italian Law 4/2013, which governs unregulated professional bodies, and received tax-agency registration on 19 June 2025. Within twelve months it became Italy's largest AI professional association by membership and the first nationally to award European Digital Credentials for AI competencies, sealed with eIDAS and verifiable through the European Commission's Europass infrastructure.
AIPIA operates as independent and non-profit, with no commercial interests dictating its positions. This independence allows AIPIA to engage credibly with Italian ministries, the European Commission's AI Alliance, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and the OECD on policy and practice.
The association is structured as an Assembly of Members and a Board of Directors, supported by a Technical-Scientific Committee (CTS) chaired by Rafael Patron. The Committee sets technical guidelines, validates training, and ensures every AIPIA initiative meets verifiable quality standards.
Mission & values
What drives everything we do
Three principles shape AIPIA's mission: advancing professional standards, embedding ethics into AI practice, and connecting Italian and European expertise with international innovation hubs.
Ethical AI
A rigorous Code of Ethics aligned with the Rome Call for AI Ethics, UNESCO AI Recommendation, OECD AI Principles, and the Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI.
Transatlantic bridge
A working channel connecting Italian and European AI practitioners with peers in Boston, Silicon Valley, the UAE, and Latin America. Italy as the EU founding-member gateway to the European AI landscape.
Technical-Scientific Committee
Led by practitioners, not just academics
The Committee brings together specialists in machine learning, software engineering, research, applied ethics, digital marketing, and full-stack development. Its work guides AIPIA's training, the European Credential, and the framework of the twelve AI professional profiles promoted at European level. It sets technical guidelines, validates training, and ensures every AIPIA initiative meets verifiable quality standards. It currently has thirteen members: the full membership is on the Technical-Scientific Committee page.
- RP
Rafael Patron
Chair of the Technical-Scientific Committee
Chief AI Officer (CAIO) at Intarget DMCC and Chair of AIPIA's Technical-Scientific Committee. Twenty years across technology, digital transformation and growth; works on enterprise, generative and agentic AI and on AI governance.
- FP
Federico Pichetto
Vice President of the CTS
Priest and educator working at the intersection of ethics, education, and technology. Bridges humanistic reflection with the responsible development of AI systems.
- FL
Francesco Levet
CTS Member
AI engineer specialised in geographic information systems. Applies artificial intelligence to territorial analysis and to software development for digital infrastructure.
- AP
Alessandro Pighetti
CTS Member
PhD in artificial intelligence, with a focus on human-machine interaction and cognitive environments. Brings the academic research perspective to the Committee's technical work.
- UL
Umberto Luciani
CTS Member
Specialist in AI applied to business growth and commercial processes. Twenty years of experience across Microsoft, BMG, EMI, and Mondadori in marketing and innovation roles.
- AV
Andrea Varesi
CTS Member
Developer and social media management specialist. Integrates artificial intelligence into digital communication workflows and content production for organisations and brands.
- FF
Franco Fassone
CTS Member
Full-stack developer with experience in software architecture and the integration of AI systems into production applications operating at scale.
- FC
Fabio Cassinelli
CTS Member
Software engineer and project manager. Delivers enterprise AI projects, combining engineering rigour with structured management of technical teams and timelines.
- JS
Josefina Strano-Lage
CTS Member
Leads the association's legal affairs and institutional relations within the Technical-Scientific Committee.
- DD
Diego Droghini
CTS Member
PhD in Electronic Engineering. Applied machine-learning research and industrial deployment of AI systems; since 2023 he has led generative-AI adoption and governance at ICS Technologies.
- LC
Leonardo Cella
CTS Member
PhD in Computer Science from the University of Milan. Lead quantitative power trader at Duferco Energia, with earlier research on bandits and meta-learning published at NeurIPS, AISTATS and ICML.
- AR
Avv. Alessia Roberto
CTS Member
Lawyer admitted to the Genoa Bar, working on artificial intelligence, data protection and corporate compliance. Data Protection Officer for more than 50 organisations, she is the lead lecturer for the legal area on AIPIA's Technical-Scientific Committee.
- FT
Federico Tardani
Honorary Member · CTS Member
Science communicator specialised in generative AI. Works on translating technical concepts for professional and educational audiences through writing and public engagement.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors guides the association's strategy and governance. It has between three and eleven members, appointed by the Board itself on a proposal from the President, and serves a five-year term. It currently comprises three members: Claudia Sanguineti, President and legal representative of the association, Rafael Patron, and Filippo Fassone.
Ready to plug in?
Become a member, partner with us, or get in touch about a specific project. AIPIA welcomes practitioners, companies, and institutions from anywhere.