Looking to the future, the Municipality of Famalicão wanted to discuss the importance, impact and challenges imposed by emerging technologies on the business, economic and social scene, during another edition of the Famalicão Made IN Economic Forum, organised by the municipality together with Jornal de Notícias/TSF.

At the opening of the meeting, which this Tuesday packed the large auditorium of the Casa das Artes, the Mayor, Mário Passos, said that in order for a municipality like Vila Nova de Famalicão - entrepreneurial, industrialised and qualified - to continue to innovate and evolve, its players - be they companies, universities, research centres, employees, workers, students - have to ‘come to termswith this new reality, which is Artificial Intelligence’.

The same was said by the Secretary of State for the Economy, João Rui Ferreira, who believes that the municipality should continue to invest in its growth, as an example of ‘motivation and inspiration’, having all the conditions to assert itself - like the rest of Portugal - in the development and application of Artificial Intelligence solutions.

"Famalicão always focuses on innovation, progress and the ambition to do more and better. It focuses not only on what it exports, but on added value - a fundamental factor for the country's progress and development,’ he noted.

As well as having a transformative impact on people's lives, Artificial Intelligence is an ‘economic opportunity’, whether for construction, services, industry or the services sector, said João Rui Ferreira. This tool will allow us to anticipate scenarios and perceive transformation and events more quickly, he said. As such, ‘we shouldn't think of this as a fad or an economic trend, but as a historic opportunity to boost the economy’.

Luís Marques Mendes was another guest speaker. The lawyer and political commentator believes that Portugal has two major problems in terms of demographics and productivity, and that "low levels of productivity “ can be overcome with this ”revolution ’ that is Artificial Intelligence. ‘One of the great advantages of Artificial Intelligence is the remarkable contribution it can make to public administration and companies in order to increase productivity levels,’ since this tool means betting on ‘efficiency, rigour, management and, consequently, good results,’ he added.

The use of this technology has raised questions of an ethical nature and sparked a discussion around its regulation. Even so, ‘caution is needed’, warns Luís Marques Mendes. ‘We can't stop or kill this evolution’. ‘We need to take a step forward,’ he argued, noting that Portugal has every reason ‘not to fail in the face of the challenge of this revolution,’ such as ‘talent, human resources and the capacity for innovation and evolution.’

In addition to these speakers, the co-founder of ESI-Robotics, Gil Sousa, the executive director of TMG, Isabel Furtado, the full professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Lisbon, Elvira Fortunato, the vice-president of ACEPI (Economia Digital Portugal), Pedro Santos and the full professor at Fernando Pessoa University, Luís Borges Gouveia were also present at the event and discussed the digital transition as a locomotive. Despite all the support that this technology will offer to the various sectors of society and the centrality it could have in different routines, everyone unanimously responded that it could not have emotions - a cross-cutting concern associated with the humanisation of Artificial Intelligence.

It should be noted that the 5th Famalicão Made IN Economic Forum is part of the programme celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Famalicão Made IN municipal programme, launched in 2014 with the aim of boosting the municipality's economic performance, promoting its entrepreneurial genetics, attracting new investments and helping entrepreneurs to develop business projects.