Lectio Inauguralis Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation Chair in Computer Science
What does particle physics have to do with ChatGPT? And how can the laws that govern the behavior of matter help us understand how artificial intelligences reason – or at least how they ‘work’? These were the questions addressed by Marc Mézard, one of the world’s most distinguished theoretical physicists, newly appointed to the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation Chair in Computer Science at Bocconi University.
His Lectio Inauguralis, entitled When Physics Meets AI. Can We Use Physics Concepts to Construct a Theory of Artificial Intelligence? took place on September 25 at 6:15 PM in the Auditorium Grande of the SDA Bocconi School of Management. Following opening remarks by Rector Francesco Billari and Giuseppe Bertoni, President of the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation, Mézard engaged in a dialogue with Nobel laureate in Physics Giorgio Parisi, in a discussion moderated by Corriere della Sera journalist Paola Pica. The closing remarks were delivered by Bocconi President Andrea Sironi.
Modern artificial intelligence is a collective phenomenon, made up of millions of simple units that together generate emergent properties. This is precisely what we study in statistical physics: how the interaction of many elements can give rise to complex behaviors. Understanding this is crucial, both for advancing science and for governing technology. -Marc Mézard, Fondazione Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi Chair in Computer Science
The Chair, established in 2022 thanks to the support of the Invernizzi Foundation, was originally entrusted to Luca Trevisan, an internationally renowned computer scientist who passed away prematurely in 2024. In his courses, he was able to intertwine the rigorous analysis of algorithms with the ethical and social dilemmas of new technologies, from blockchain to data security.
Together with the Invernizzi Foundation, we established this Chair in 2022, convinced that artificial intelligence represents a strategic resource for scientific and societal progress. It must be approached with confidence, critical thinking, and ethical awareness, avoiding both naïve enthusiasm and unfounded prejudice. I am certain that Professor Marc Mézard will embody these values in his work at the Invernizzi Chair and will lead this endeavor with expertise and vision. -Giuseppe Bertoni, President, Fondazione Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi
With Mézard, former Director of the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and now Full Professor at Bocconi, the baton passes to an even more interdisciplinary perspective. A member of the Accademia dei Lincei and the French Académie des Sciences, with over 34,000 scientific citations and winner, together with Parisi and Riccardo Zecchina, of the Onsager Prize of the American Physical Society, Mézard sees AI as a field of research that concerns not only the digital world but also the human brain.
Studying how artificial neural networks learn also means moving closer to understanding how our brain solves problems. -Marc Mézard, Fondazione Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi Chair in Computer Science
This event marks the beginning of a new season of research at Bocconi: physics meets artificial intelligence, and science sets to work to decipher the future.