*Press Release
Rome, 12/16/2024 – Systems & Automation (S&A) proudly announces that its SPOTLIGHT project has been selected to receive targeted funding under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP). The initiative is among the strategic activities promoted by CYBER 4.0 – Cybersecurity Competence Center, aimed at strengthening technological innovation and digital security in Italy.
SPOTLIGHT aims to innovate the field of cybersecurity by addressing one of the most current threats: cognitive manipulation through online disinformation. Using advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and knowledge graphs, the project aims to develop tools capable of detecting and mitigating artificial influences on people’s opinions, behaviors and decisions.
“With SPOTLIGHT, we want to offer organizations concrete tools to address the challenges posed by information manipulation, an issue that is increasingly relevant globally,” said Ing. Roberto De Finis, COO of S&A. “This funding allows us to move forward in a strategic area, to accelerate the development and testing of technologies that support a more ethical and responsible use of digital information, promoting public awareness.”
“The use of misinformation and fake news campaigns today represent a real threat, one that is growing rapidly and among the most insidious to face. Recent cases have shown how targeted campaigns can put even the democratic life of a country at risk. It is certainly no coincidence that the issue of countering online disinformation has also been identified as one of the 5 most important challenges to be addressed by our National Cyber Security Strategy, as early as 2021. SPOTLIGHT, a project born from the collaboration between Systems & Automation and Cyber 4.0 aims to propose an innovative approach in defending against cognitive manipulation, based on artificial intelligence and the use of knowledge graphs. It is designed to become a predictive analysis tool, capable of unmasking disinformation strategies before they become concrete threats. A revolutionary approach that transforms digital defense from reactive to proactive.” Says Matteo Lucchetti, chief operating officer of Cyber 4.0.