Bringing Artificial Intelligence into school classrooms and building a tangible connection between education, industry and technological innovation: this is the goal of the initiative promoted by IFAB – International Foundation Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Human Development at Liceo Scientifico G. Ulivi in Parma.
On February 4, IFAB launched a learning program that led to the introduction of a real AI Challenge, inviting students to apply their newly acquired knowledge to a practical innovation task.
The project reflects IFAB’s broader mission to promote advanced skills in data and Artificial Intelligence – not only within industrial and business environments, but also across the education ecosystem, helping younger generations understand and engage with the technologies shaping the future.
Bringing Generative AI into the classroom
The program began with an introductory course on Generative AI, delivered by the IFAB team to fourth-year high school students. During the sessions, students explored the foundations of generative artificial intelligence, gaining insight into how these technologies work and how they are already being applied in professional and industrial settings.
Beyond theory, the initiative was designed to encourage critical thinking, creativity and project-based learning, showing students how AI is transforming the way companies develop products, optimize processes and design new services.
Barilla’s industry perspective and the launch of the challenge
To connect classroom learning with real-world industrial applications, IFAB invited experts from Barilla Group, one of the Foundation’s member companies, to meet with the students. During the session, Enrico Cademartiri, Eleonora Manoli and Riccardo Monaco shared practical insights into how machine learning and AI technologies are used within business processes, highlighting their growing importance even in sectors such as agri-food and manufacturing.
The meeting concluded with the launch of a project-based challenge, in which students will spend the coming weeks developing creative AI-supported solutions inspired by the problem proposed by Barilla. The program will culminate on April 29, when student teams will present their projects to a jury of Barilla experts, who will evaluate the ideas developed throughout the initiative.
The role of ITS Olivetti
To further strengthen the collaborative dimension of the project, IFAB also involved ITS A. Olivetti of Parma, bringing in students from the second year of the Creative Digital Specialist program.
These ITS students will support the high school teams as tutors and mentors, sharing the practical skills they have developed through their hands-on, practice-oriented training, based on experiential learning and learning by doing.
Throughout the project, teams will work with methodologies and tools such as:
- Data analysis
- Prompt engineering
- Design thinking
- Creative brainstorming and project development
- AI applications in business contexts
This collaborative model creates a bridge between secondary education, advanced technical training and the business world, allowing students to experience dynamics similar to those found in real professional environments.
Through initiatives like this, IFAB continues to promote a culture of Artificial Intelligence and data, connecting education, research and industry and contributing to the development of the skills needed to address the technological challenges of the coming years.
