Pixel Identity and The Puzzle of Inclusion

On the occasion of UniVerso, the open day at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), which took place on 10 May 2025, the Faculty of Informatics, in collaboration with the Equal Opportunities Service, proposed the initiative ‘Identity a Pixel and The Puzzle of Inclusion’, an immersive activity aimed at stimulating critical reflection on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on our identity. The event offered participants, young and old, the opportunity to explore how AI observes us, how it collects our data and how, often, through digitisation and databases, we tend to see our identity simplified.

The immersive course explored how new technologies, while being powerful and innovative tools, sometimes simplify and homogenise our identities. This happens because databases, from which AIs draw inspiration, often contain biases that result from the over-representation of some categories over others. The consequence is that, without careful curation and critical reflection, we risk losing our uniqueness, reduced to stereotypes or generic categories that do not reflect the richness and diversity of reality. Technologies, such as artificial intelligence, can be extraordinary tools if fed by diverse databases that reflect reality in its many facets. It is crucial that digital systems represent all categories and identities in a balanced and realistic way, without falling into the trap of prejudices and generalisations that flatten differences.

Part of the initiative was the Inclusion Puzzle, an interactive space where each boy or girl had the opportunity to represent themselves on a piece of the puzzle. Each piece, although unique and personal, was then joined to those of the others, creating a collective composition. This gesture was not only symbolic, but intended to convey an important message: although different, each piece fits perfectly with the others, demonstrating that diversity is not only necessary, but fundamental to a harmonious whole.

The initiative thus emphasised the importance of creating inclusive digital spaces that respect plurality, promoting a conscious use of new technologies. Only when the data feeding AI are diverse and representative of all realities can we obtain tools that do not simplify or standardise, but reflect the richness of our diversity.