With Luca Ferrari

Story Topic: 
Why most AI projects
fail and what actually works?

Watt's Next

Welcome to this story of Watt's Next, where we humanize the complexities of the global energy transition.

In this episode, we sit down with Luca Ferrari, a program and project manager at OPTIT with a decade of experience in the energy and industrial sectors.

Luca shares his expertise on how digital models and AI platforms are being built to solve and optimize complex energy systems.
Drawing from his background in mechanical engineering and data analytics, he dives into why an astonishing 80% of AI projects fail due to a translation gap, and how his team successfully bridges the divide between data scientists and real world industrial operations. Throughout the interview, Luca breaks down practical applications of AI in the real world.
‍
Including:
- How a "digital twin" acts as an AI copilot for operators at the Milan Airport, helping them manage heating, cooling, and electricity in a constantly evolving market.
- How AI models are essential for managing market risk and extreme volatility by running "what-if" scenarios, such as predicting the fallout of a 20% spike in gas prices.
- Why the biggest challenge facing the future of power is a change management issue: the urgent need to break down traditional silos between electricity, gas, and steam to treat energy as one unified, flexible system.