Hto a name, a carefully constructed identity and will soon also have an official delegation within the municipal council. Her name is Eva Statiellabut she is not a new figure in Italian politics nor a young administrator ready to make her debut in the institutions. Statiella is an avatar created thanks to artificial intelligence and will become, in the intentions of the Municipality of Acqui Terme, the first “virtual councilor” of Italy. The decision comes from the Piedmontese town, in the province of Alessandria, and brings with it a series of questions undoubtedly destined to spark discussion.
Eva Statiella, the first “virtual councilor”
But let’s start from the beginning, exactly from the name, chosen with a precise symbolic meaning. Behind it, in fact, there is a reference to history and the collective imagination. “Eve”, obviously evokes the first woman of the biblical traditiona universal and immediately recognizable figure; “Statiella” instead looks at the past of Acqui Termerecalling both the Ligurian Statielli, the ancient population that inhabited the territory, and the ancient Acquae Statiellaethe ancient Roman name of current Acqui Terme.
What will his role be?
An identity, therefore, built on the idea of creating a bridge between past and future, between local identity and innovation. Not surprisingly, the virtual councilor should receive delegations that speak precisely of this balance: in addition to artificial intelligence and digital transition, in fact, it will also deal with “humanization”a term that seems almost at odds with its artificial nature and which nevertheless makes the entire initiative even more fascinating.
In Acqui Terme a virtual figure joins the council: her name is Eva Statiella and she was created with artificial intelligence. (Getty Images)
What will the administrator take care of?
But what will Eva Statiella actually do? At the moment there is no definitive answer yet. Mayor Danilo Rapetti he explained that the goal is not to replace people’s jobsnor entrust the power to decide to a machine in place of elected administrators. Rather, the project is born to observe and understand what role they could have in the futureartificial intelligence systems in supporting public administration.
The paradox of delegation to humanization
It must be said that, among all the skills that could be entrusted to an avatar, that of humanization is certainly the most surprising. The choice almost seems to want to launch a cultural challenge: can technology help make public services more humane? According to those who support the initiative, the answer could be yes.
If digital systems could take care of the most repetitive and bureaucratic practices, operators and municipal employees would have more time to dedicate to listening to peoplecomplex cases and direct contact with citizens. In other words, it would mean using technology not as a substitute for human beings, but as a tool to restore value to human relationships.
From the virtual councilor to the avatar mayor
Eva Statiella, meanwhile, could only be the first step of a larger project. Mayor Rapetti has, in fact, announced plans to also create a virtual version of himself: a sort of “twin avatar mayor” capable of communicating with citizens and tourists through digital channels, answering questions about municipal offices, available services and city initiatives.
A machine that helps the public machine
The idea fits into an “agentic” administration model, that is, based on digital systems that can work alone on some tasks. In practice, these are artificial intelligences that help the Municipality in the simplest operations: providing information, sorting requests and dealing with basic bureaucratic procedures, such as those of the registry office or urban planning. In the intentions of the Municipality of Acqui Terme, this approach will not result in a reduction in staff. Instead, technology would be used to lighten the load of more mechanical tasks and allow employees to focus on training, retraining and managing more delicate situations.
A challenge that goes beyond Acqui Terme
Beyond the surprise effect, the case of Eva Statiella opens up a reflection that concerns everyone. Artificial intelligence is already changing work, communication and access to services. His entry into public administration has already begun and appears almost inevitablebut the way in which this will happen is still to be built.
The Acqui Terme experiment does not answer all the questions. Indeed, it raises new ones. But perhaps Eva Statiella’s project is not so much that of reducing everything to an “artificial policy”, but of being a symbol that forces us to question ourselves on the very delicate balance between innovation and humanity.