Mathematicians, physicists, engineers, developers. But also philosophers, ethnographers, artists. All together in a wing of a convent in Modena. Every day, the potential of mathematics enters companies to help them grow. For "FARE Insieme" Giampaolo Colletti interviews Fabio Ferrari, Founder and Chairman of Ammagamma
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
"We were born explorers on the dawn of a world to invent. Since day one we have used mathematics to develop human intelligence. Technology alone is not enough. Harmony, elegance and intelligence are also needed to guide the change". So says Fabio Ferrari, 41-year-old founder and chairman of Ammagamma, data science company that offers companies advanced mathematical solutions that can lead them towards new social and production visions. It was Fabio Ferrari, a former university researcher who decided to resign at the age of 33 with the goal of trying to apply mathematics to improve the processes and performance of companies, who created this start-up - which then become a scale-up - from scratch in 2013. A hunch that initially seemed a madcap scheme. Instead, things went differently. Today, Ammagamma works with hundreds of enterprises - global giants and top class SMEs – developing artificial intelligence solutions for businesses and has around 60 employees on its payroll.
The human touch
The programmatic manifesto expresses the idea of a future built by exploiting the potential of digital technologies - its scalability, in a certain sense - but with the human touch that makes the difference. "Today, at the height of the digital revolution, we transform data into new know-how with mathematics as the bridge. It all started in a fairly solitary way. At that time, talking about mathematics applied to business was a massive challenge. Then I found my travelling companions. Mathematics is a great tool to interpret the world around us and understand what will become of it. It's a bit like music, with its staff. The notes, if played correctly, can become a beautiful melody", says Ferrari. The company’s name can be read in the watermark of the music, that evokes the age of progressive rock when music incorporated the first artificial sounds to free new visions. A tribute to Pink Floyd, and much more. Because there is a reference to a different approach. "We are busy developing algorithms and giving meaning to numbers, but humanising artificial intelligence". The human capital becomes pivotal in generating the other capital and, therefore, conquer markets, reputation, attention. There are 60 professionals in Modena, with 21 new entries programmed for the coming months. The average age is 32 but there are other people with many years of experience alongside the youngsters. So management ranges from 27 up to 50 years old. "In the team there are mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists. But not only. Because there is also room for designers, philosophers, experts of the history of religions. We translate complexity: that’s why creating relations becomes central for us. We recruit talented people with different know-how, backgrounds and languages. This diversity is an asset and turns into mindful business. But there is also another element: the need to make scientific elements comprehensible for our clients. We can do all this thanks to human science, that becomes just as strategic as data science. It may seem a paradox, but today, the narrative of AI is distorted because there of the preconceived notions that AI controls man. Instead, AI and algebra help interpret reality. That's why we doggedly try to work in the opposite direction. The humanistic and artistic figure become central. It’s no coincidence that mathematics has always represented a haven for philosophers and historians, a key to the interpretation of all disciplines", claims Ferrari. Working on business processes to re-design, streamline, improve. From challenges linked to Human Resources through to financial management. "We offer a new mindset to help control these complex processes thanks to mathematical models and concrete solutions". The headquarters of this outstanding reality of the Emilia data valley is a former convent in via Sant’Orsola in Modena. "But in a wing there are also the Ursuline Sisters. We have and internal cloister and some spaces are communal. We sometimes hear them pray the rosary in the garden".
The co-creation formula
The company was initially established in 2013 to improve energy processes with the name of Energy Way. Different areas were added in just a few years: from multi-utilities to banks, from manufacturing to mass distribution. Today, Linkedin has elected Ammagamma one of the most innovative companies of 2020. "We develop solutions that help companies realise their potential and effectively meet the challenges of the times. We work on algorithms developed from scratch or we draw on existing libraries, but the difference lies in the composition. Many clients are asking us to work with AI. This means not only delivering technology, but also know-how. We provide the tools, but change can come about only by working alongside the client". Recent projects include the Genius Lab digital platform, developed alongside Kerakoll, that offers design engineers and sales representatives a web app able to rapidly select and quantify projects for the Superbonus 110% government scheme. "Working four-handed means developing paths and relationships that go beyond the traditional client-supplier logic. It is the symbol of collaboration, that becomes co-creation».
The soul of the data
Thinking beyond, also at a geographic level. One year ago, in 2020, the opening of an office in Israel, with all the difficulties linked to the pandemic. "But for us, Israel has always been a strategic haven for both know-how and the market. It is the country closest to the Asian market, it has excellent universities and we are working there on the development of algorithms linked to water purification because there is great attention to water management as a basic commodity".
The data thus take on a social dimension. "We are firmly convinced of the need to develop a data culture. Using them correctly so as not to create asymmetries. The problem is linked to how the data are chosen, selected and managed. There are ethical aspects and implications. For this reason we also liaise with universities and research centres", says Ferrari. Then there is also the line linked to sustainability: organising the chain in a balanced, no waste way. From here, the new challenge with the development of the Ammagamma index: this is a tool to measure in a certified way the impact that an algorithm can have on a company, the generative impact of the datum. From the mathematical model to its representation. After all, innovation is an amalgam of the technological and human components.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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