NAPLES, “Artificial intelligence must not consume or undermine corporate culture and the wealth of knowledge and experience that companies have built up over the years.”
This is the view of Roberto Corbo, President of Corbo Group, who is calling for a broader discussion on the relationship between technology, professional expertise and the evaluation criteria used in public procurement.
The need for caution is now being acknowledged even by companies developing the most advanced AI models, some of which have recently called for a slower pace of development to allow safety measures and oversight mechanisms to keep up.
“A bid submitted as part of a public tender is built on experience gained on construction sites,” explains Corbo. “It draws on knowledge of materials, the ability to anticipate challenges, solutions developed and refined over time, and the expertise of engineers, technicians and skilled workers. This represents an asset that goes beyond its economic value. It is a legacy of professional knowledge and experience that belongs to businesses and forms an important part of Italy’s industrial and economic fabric.”
Italian companies have invested in people, infrastructure, design and organisational capabilities for decades.
“We have learned from our mistakes, developed insights and trained skilled professionals,” Corbo continues. “If all of this is placed on the same level as an automatically generated report, we risk gradually eroding the industry’s know-how and losing a professional culture that cannot simply be recreated with a single command.”
The President of Corbo Group stresses that his position is not intended to restrict market competition.
“This is not about protectionism or monopolies. Competition is essential, but it must be based on the genuine quality and capabilities of businesses. We need to preserve and recognise the value of well-established, professionally organised companies with a proven track record and a wealth of accumulated experience. The presentation of a proposal must not become more important than the ability to turn it into a successfully completed construction project.”
According to Corbo, there is a need to “update evaluation criteria, placing greater emphasis on organisational strength, in-house expertise, business continuity, completed projects and the proven ability to manage construction works effectively. Artificial intelligence,” he argues, “must support corporate culture, not replace it.
If we stop recognising the value of experience, we risk losing companies, skilled professionals and essential expertise over time, undermining both the quality of construction projects and the protection of the public interest.”
