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Artificial intelligence Alumni International

From unibz to the AI Office in Brussels

How does one go from a university classroom to a key role in regulating Artificial Intelligence for the European Commission? Giulia Carsaniga, a former student, shares her journey.

By Arturo Zilli

Giulia Carsaniga, a former unibz student, is one of the professionals shaping AI policy-making at the European Commission. Foto: European Commission
Giulia Carsaniga, a former unibz student, is one of the professionals shaping AI policy-making at the European Commission. Foto: European Commission

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already a pervasive technology poised to transform every facet of society — from the economy to healthcare, culture, and social interactions. To unlock the potential of AI while addressing its risks, the European Union introduced the AI Act, an innovative piece of legislation designed to ensure safety and fundamental rights while promoting ethical and trustworthy AI. Supporting this legislation is the European Commission's AI Office, a European AI bureau headquartered between Brussels and Luxembourg, which plays a critical role in implementing the AI Act and developing strategies to foster AI adoption across Europe.

Since June 2023, Giulia Carsaniga, a graduate of the Bachelor's program in Economics, Politics, and Ethics at unibz, has been working at the Brussels-based AI Office. A native of Bozen-Bolzano and a self-proclaimed European citizen by vocation and choice, Giulia is one of the professionals shaping AI policy-making at the European Commission. Her career path shows how academic training, combined with international experiences, can lead to a career that blends innovation, social responsibility, and a global vision.

Giulia is a policy officer in the AI Office’s unit dealing with AI innovation and policy coordination. She is particularly involved in developing policies to enhance AI skills and talents in Europe and foster AI uptake across EU strategic industries and the public sector. Next to her policy work, Giulia is also a project officer for the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) in Germany and the agrifoodTEF (Testing and Experimenting Facility). “The AI Office, where I work, was established alongside adopting the AI Act. It is partly based in Brussels and partly in Luxembourg, as we have four units in the Belgian capital and one in Luxembourg,” explains the former unibz student. “I belong to Unit A4. While we collaborate on implementing the AI Act—an essential aspect of the office’s work—our primary focus is on the other side: fostering AI-driven innovation in Europe and increasing its adoption across various economic sectors.”

Giulia’s Journey: Interdisciplinary Education and International Experiences

After graduating from the Liceo Linguistico Carducci in Bozen-Bolzano, Giulia Carsaniga was drawn to the Bachelor program at unibz because it offered the chance to acquire a quantitative education in economics while continuing to study more humanities-oriented subjects. “It was a highly interdisciplinary program,” she recalls. “Not just economics, but also politics and philosophy—fields that opened up new perspectives for me, such as European politics and policy.” Her linguistic background, honed during high school, led her to pursue formative experiences that broadened her horizons. The Erasmus program in Namur, Belgium, was her first immersion into European institutions and ignited her passion for EU law and policy-making.

“After being introduced to European law in university courses, I visited EU institutions in Brussels, which motivated me to look for opportunities to return. I decided to dedicate my bachelor’s thesis to Brexit and migration,” she explains. Following her bachelor’s degree in September 2017, Giulia’s educational journey took her to a Summer School with the Euregio and an internship at a lobbying and public affairs consultancies in Brussels. These experiences convinced her to focus on public policy, prompting her to enrol in the Master in Public Policy at the Hertie School in Berlin, with a study exchange at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Following the experience in South East Asia’s most prestigious school for public policy, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. “It was during this time that my interest in the themes of technological sovereignty and Europe’s competitiveness started growing, especially looking at the major disruptions caused by the pandemic in the supply chain of key electronic components for various EU products and industries.”

The definitive leap into European institutions came through her consulting experience for public IT projects and the Blue Book Traineeship, an internship at the European Commission that allowed her to build a solid professional network and secure her current position through a competitive selection process. 

The headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. Foto: Fernando Losada Rodríguez
The headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. Foto: Fernando Losada Rodríguez

Leading AI Innovation and Policy Initiatives

Today, Giulia is actively involved in developing new strategies for AI implementation as a policy and project officer. “Among other responsibilities, I oversee a project (agrifoodTEF) coordinated by the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Trento. This project, a Testing and Experimentation Facility (TEF), provides virtual and physical environments where AI developers can test products before bringing them to market,” she explains. In addition to this role, Giulia manages 16 projects in Germany, leveraging her linguistic skills. “These are the European Digital Innovation Hubs, which serve as one-stop shops to help SMEs and public institutions transition to digitalization by offering services such as training, access to finance, testing and networking,” she adds. “On the policy side, I’m increasingly focused on strategies to improve workforce AI skills and the general public’s understanding of Artificial Intelligence. This involves, among others, drafting policy strategies and guidelines, consulting businesses via workshops and guiding them to ensure they are prepared to address both the challenges and opportunities of AI, in line with the existing EU AI Regulation.”

Staying Grounded While Looking Beyond Borders

Despite the prestige of her position, Giulia remains grounded. “I’m still in the middle of my journey,” she says. “I’m learning and growing every day. I hope my experience can inspire others to look beyond borders and seize opportunities.” This mindset has led her to participate in orientation events for unibz students and share her journey with younger generations. In March, Giulia will return to Bolzano for a conference on AI, organized by the University and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano at the NOI Techpark. This visit reflects her enduring connection to her roots and her commitment to contributing to the community that shaped her.