On 7 July 2026, YuYing Mak, Project Officer at Virtual Routes, joined a panel discussion at the Università degli Studi di Milano (UniMi) as part of the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars Program closing event “Shape the Future,” organized in partnership with Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS (FMD ETS). Moderated by Cecilia Stajano, Community Manager of FMD ETS, the panel brought together students, industry, and academics to explore a question that’s becoming harder to avoid: in a world where AI is entering every field, what does a cybersecurity professional actually need to know?
YuYing was joined by Professor Stefano Zanero of Politecnico di Milano and Pierluigi Perri, associate professor at UniMi and Faculty Champion of the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars. The panel highlighted the value of a program that bridges the gap between academic training and the concrete needs of local communities, offering students an experience that integrates technical, regulatory, and organizational competencies in a way that pure classroom learning rarely does.
After the opening panel, two students explained what the program had meant for their development and what they had taken forward from it. The program had expanded their primarily technical training into governance and regulatory territory, competencies that are increasingly crucial for careers navigating the rapidly shifting AI and cybersecurity regulatory landscape in Europe.
Attendees also heard from two schools, speaking as representatives of local community organizations (LCOs) involved in the program. Liceo Primo Levi di Bollate, represented by head teacher Elisabetta Boselli, described how cybersecurity and AI assistance provided by the program went beyond just a simple audit. With support from Cristiano, the school developed an AI adoption plan and new institutional regulations, drawing in around 140 teachers and 12 support staff in a shared process of awareness-building and AI governance.
ITET Maggiolini di Parabiago, whose vice-principal Antonio Cascione also spoke, had undergone a systematic review of the school’s digital infrastructure, from the electronic register and website through to firewalls and servers, resulting in a shift in how cybersecurity is understood within the institution: less a compliance checkbox, more a shared responsibility. Both schools are exactly the kind of organization the program is designed to reach: essential to their communities, and rarely able to access dedicated cybersecurity support.
The event closed with remarks from Professor Silvia Salini, professor of statistics at UniMi and EDI lead for the Cybersecurity Seminars program. Professor Salini framed cybersecurity as a “democratic risk”, something that affects everyone regardless of age or level of digital literacy, and that demands a much broader culture of data protection and cybersecurity. Through taking part in the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program, each of the participating students and LCOs at UniMi have made their contribution towards creating this much-needed culture.
