Curriculum

Research Fellow working in Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI) and Symbiotic AI, investigating how AI systems can collaborate effectively with humans through transparent, explainable, and accessible interaction mechanisms.

His work focuses on the evaluation and improvement of conversational agents for accessible web interaction, studying how conversational AI can support inclusive access to digital services through natural-language interfaces. The activities of this grant are part of the PRIN PNRR 2022 project “PROTECT - imPROving ciTizEn inClusivity Through Conversational AI”, which explores how conversational agents interacting with users can enhance web accessibility.

Within the PROTECT Project, he contributes to research on the Conversational Web Browsing paradigm, aimed at enabling users—particularly people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups—to access and navigate web content through conversational interaction. Digital inclusion is a primary right for all citizens and represents a “must have” for granting access to knowledge, education, and work. However, four out of ten people in Italy still do not use the Internet regularly and more than half of the population lacks basic digital skills. Despite advancements in assistive technologies, the EU Directive 2019/882 acknowledges the ongoing challenge of web accessibility, particularly for individuals with disabilities.

Activities include systematic literature reviews and knowledge synthesis on explanation user interfaces, as well as the design and evaluation of approaches to improve transparency, explainability, and trust in conversational AI systems, following a human-centered design perspective.

Employed on the project eGLU-Box: an ISO 25000-certified system to aid the evaluation of websites’ usability following the eGLU protocol (a usability testing framework and standard). The major duties regarded:

• the design, implementation, and documentation of a “reverse proxy” to be used in eGLU-Box using Laravel (PHP);
• the evaluation (and refactoring) of various components of the system.

During this period, multiple research activities (that are leading to various publications: check the publications’ section) were started.

Graduated summa cum laude with a special mention. Obtained the Master’s Degree, in English, in “Computer Science” at the University of Bari “A. Moro”. His thesis, titled “Design And Development of a Human-Centred Conversational Agent for 3D Modelling”, was developed under the supervision of the IVU Laboratory of the University of as part of a micro-project of WP3 of the Humane-AI network, and for this reason he was a visitor for one month at the Human-Centered Ubiquitous Media research group of the Ludwig-Maximillian Universität in Munich, Germany.