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OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology

E-book: AI Agents in Education
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
September 15, 2025 · min read

From personalization to productivity: AI at the heart of the educational experience.

Click this link to read and download the e-book.

At its core, teaching is a simple endeavour. The experienced and learned pass on their knowledge and wisdom to new generations. Nothing has changed in that regard. What has changed is how new technologies emerge to facilitate that passing on of knowledge. The printing press, computers, the internet – all have transformed how educators teach and how students learn.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next game-changer in the educational space.

Specifically, AI agents have emerged as tools that utilize all of AI’s core strengths, such as data gathering and analysis, pattern identification, and information condensing. Those strengths have been refined, first into simple chatbots capable of providing answers, and now into agents capable of adapting how they learn and adjusting to the environment in which they’re placed. This adaptability, in particular, makes AI agents vital in the educational realm.

The reasons why are simple. AI agents can collect, analyse, and condense massive amounts of educational material across multiple subject areas. More importantly, they can deliver that information to students while observing how the students engage with the material presented. Those observations open the door for tweaks. An AI agent learns alongside their student. Only, the agent’s learning focuses on how it can adapt its delivery to account for a student’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and existing knowledge.

Think of an AI agent like having a tutor – one who eschews set lesson plans in favour of an adaptive approach designed and tweaked constantly for each specific student.

In this eBook, the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) will take you on a journey through the world of AI agents as they pertain to education. You will learn what these agents are, how they work, and what they’re capable of achieving in the educational sector. We also explore best practices and key approaches, focusing on how educators can use AI agents to the benefit of their students. Finally, we will discuss other AI tools that both complement and enhance an AI agent’s capabilities, ensuring you deliver the best possible educational experience to your students.

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OPIT Supporting a New Generation of Cybersecurity Leaders
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
August 28, 2025 · min read

The Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) began enrolling students in 2023 to help bridge the skills gap between traditional university education and the requirements of the modern workplace. OPIT’s MSc courses aim to help professionals make a greater impact on their workplace through technology.

OPIT’s courses have become popular with business leaders hoping to develop a strong technical foundation to understand technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, that are shaping their industry. But OPIT is also attracting professionals with strong technical expertise looking to engage more deeply with the strategic side of digital innovation. This is the story of one such student, Obiora Awogu.

Meet Obiora

Obiora Awogu is a cybersecurity expert from Nigeria with a wealth of credentials and experience from working in the industry for a decade. Working in a lead data security role, he was considering “what’s next” for his career. He was contemplating earning an MSc to add to his list of qualifications he did not yet have, but which could open important doors. He discussed the idea with his mentor, who recommended OPIT, where he himself was already enrolled in an MSc program.

Obiora started looking at the program as a box-checking exercise, but quickly realized that it had so much more to offer. As well as being a fully EU-accredited course that could provide new opportunities with companies around the world, he recognized that the course was designed for people like him, who were ready to go from building to leading.

OPIT’s MSc in Cybersecurity

OPIT’s MSc in Cybersecurity launched in 2024 as a fully online and flexible program ideal for busy professionals like Obiora who want to study without taking a career break.

The course integrates technical and leadership expertise, equipping students to not only implement cybersecurity solutions but also lead cybersecurity initiatives. The curriculum combines technical training with real-world applications, emphasizing hands-on experience and soft skills development alongside hard technical know-how.

The course is led by Tom Vazdar, the Area Chair for Cybersecurity at OPIT, as well as the Chief Security Officer at Erste Bank Croatia and an Advisory Board Member for EC3 European Cybercrime Center. He is representative of the type of faculty OPIT recruits, who are both great teachers and active industry professionals dealing with current challenges daily.

Experts such as Matthew Jelavic, the CEO at CIM Chartered Manager Canada and President of Strategy One Consulting; Mahynour Ahmed, Senior Cloud Security Engineer at Grant Thornton LLP; and Sylvester Kaczmarek, former Chief Scientific Officer at We Space Technologies, join him.

Course content includes:

  • Cybersecurity fundamentals and governance
  • Network security and intrusion detection
  • Legal aspects and compliance
  • Cryptography and secure communications
  • Data analytics and risk management
  • Generative AI cybersecurity
  • Business resilience and response strategies
  • Behavioral cybersecurity
  • Cloud and IoT security
  • Secure software development
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving
  • Leadership and communication in cybersecurity
  • AI-driven forensic analysis in cybersecurity

As with all OPIT’s MSc courses, it wraps up with a capstone project and dissertation, which sees students apply their skills in the real world, either with their existing company or through apprenticeship programs. This not only gives students hands-on experience, but also helps them demonstrate their added value when seeking new opportunities.

Obiora’s Experience

Speaking of his experience with OPIT, Obiora said that it went above and beyond what he expected. He was not surprised by the technical content, in which he was already well-versed, but rather the change in perspective that the course gave him. It helped him move from seeing himself as someone who implements cybersecurity solutions to someone who could shape strategy at the highest levels of an organization.

OPIT’s MSc has given Obiora the skills to speak to boards, connect risk with business priorities, and build organizations that don’t just defend against cyber risks but adapt to a changing digital world. He commented that studying at OPIT did not give him answers; instead, it gave him better questions and the tools to lead. Of course, it also ticks the MSc box, and while that might not be the main reason for studying at OPIT, it is certainly a clear benefit.

Obiora has now moved into a leading Chief Information Security Officer Role at MoMo, Payment Service Bank for MTN. There, he is building cyber-resilient financial systems, contributing to public-private partnerships, and mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity experts.

Leading Cybersecurity in Africa

As well as having a significant impact within his own organization, studying at OPIT has helped Obiora develop the skills and confidence needed to become a leader in the cybersecurity industry across Africa.

In March 2025, Obiora was featured on the cover of CIO Africa Magazine and was then a panelist on the “Future of Cybersecurity Careers in the Age of Generative AI” for Comercio Ltd. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry also invited him to speak on Cybersecurity in Africa.

Obiora recently presented the keynote speech at the Hackers Secret Conference 2025 on “Code in the Shadows: Harnessing the Human-AI Partnership in Cybersecurity.” In the talk, he explored how AI is revolutionizing incident response, enhancing its speed, precision, and proactivity, and improving on human-AI collaboration.

An OPIT Success Story

Talking about Obiora’s success, the OPIT Area Chair for Cybersecurity said:

“Obiora is a perfect example of what this program was designed for – experienced professionals ready to scale their impact beyond operations. It’s been inspiring to watch him transform technical excellence into strategic leadership. Africa’s cybersecurity landscape is stronger with people like him at the helm. Bravo, Obiora!”

Learn more about OPIT’s MSc in Cybersecurity and how it can support the next steps of your career.

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How Regenerative Business Models Are Redefining Innovation and Sustainability
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
August 18, 2025 · min read

Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) masterclasses bring students face-to-face with real-world business challenges. In OPIT’s July masterclass, OPIT Professor Francesco Derchi and Ph.D. candidate Robert Mario de Stefano explained the principles of regenerative businesses and how regeneration goes hand in hand with growth.

Regenerative Business Models

Professor Derchi began by explaining what exactly is meant by regenerative business models, clearly differentiating them from sustainable or circular models.

Many companies pursue sustainable business models in which they offset their negative impact by investing elsewhere. For example, businesses that are big carbon consumers will support nature regeneration projects. Circular business models are similar but are more focused on their own product chain, aiming to minimize waste by keeping products in use as long as possible through recycling. Both models essentially aim to have a “net-zero” negative impact on the environment.

Regenerative models are different because they actively aim to have a “net-positive” impact on the environment, not just offsetting their own use but actively regenerating the planet.

Massive Transformative Purpose

While regenerative business models are often associated with philanthropic endeavors, Professor Derchi explained that they do not have to be, and that investment in regeneration can be a driver of growth.

He discussed the importance of corporate purpose in the modern business space. Having a strong and clearly stated corporate purpose is considered essential to drive business decision-making, encourage employee buy-in, and promote customer loyalty.

But today, simple corporate missions, such as “make good shoes,” don’t go far enough. People are looking for a Massive Transformational Purpose (MTP) that can take the business to the next level.

Take, for example, Ben & Jerry’s. The business’s initial corporate purpose may have been to make great ice cream and serve it up in a way that people will enjoy. But the business really began to grow when they embraced an MTP. As they announced in their mission statement, “We believe that ice cream can change the world.” Their business activities also have the aim of advancing human rights and dignity, supporting social and economic justice, and protecting and restoring the Earth’s natural systems. While these aims are philanthropic, they have also helped the business grow.

RePlanet

Professor Derchi next talked about RePlanet, a business he recently worked to develop their MTP. Founded in 2015, RePlanet designs and implements customized renewable energy solutions for businesses and projects. The company already operates in the renewable energy field and ranked as the 21st fastest-growing business in Italy in 2023. So while they were already enjoying great success, Derchi worked with them to see if actively embracing a regenerative business model could unlock additional growth.

Working together, RePlanet moved towards an MTP of building a greener future based on today’s choices, ensuring a cleaner world for generations. Meeting this goal started with the energy products that RePlanet sells, such as energy systems that recover heat from dairy farms. But as the business’s MTP, it goes beyond that. RePlanet doesn’t just engage suppliers; it chooses partners that share its specific values. It also influences the projects they choose to work on – they prioritize high-impact social projects, such as recently installing photovoltaic energy systems at a local hospital in Nigeria – and how RePlanet treats its talent, acknowledging that people are the true energy of the company.

Regenerative Business Strategies

Based on work with RePlanet and other businesses, Derchi has identified six archetypal regenerative business strategies for businesses that want to have both a regenerative impact and drive growth:

  • Regenerative Leadership – Laying the foundation for regeneration in a broader sense throughout the company
  • Nature Regeneration – Strategies to improve the health of the natural world
  • Social Regeneration – Regenerating human ecosystems through things such as fair-trade practices
  • Responsible Sourcing – Empowering and strengthening suppliers and their communities
  • Health & Well-being – Creating products and services that have a positive effect on customers
  • Employee Focus – Improve work conditions, lives, and well-being of employees.

Case Studies

Building on the concept of regenerative business models, Roberto Mario de Stefano shared other case studies of businesses that are having a positive impact and enjoying growth thanks to regenerative business models and strategies.

Biorfarm

Biorfarm is a digital platform that supports small-scale agriculture by creating a direct link between small farmers and consumers. Cutting out the middleman in modern supply chains means that farmers earn about 50% more for their produce. They set consumers up as “digital farmers” who actively support and learn about farming activities to promote more conscious food consumption.

Their vision is to create a food economy in which those who produce food and those who consume it are connected. This moves consumers from passive cash cows for large corporations that prioritize profits over the well-being of farmers to actively supporting natural production and a more sustainable system.

Rifo Lab

Rifo Lab is a circular clothing brand with the vision of addressing the problem of overproduction in the clothing industry. Established in Prato, Italy, a traditional textile-producing area, the company produces clothes made from textile waste and biodegradable materials. There are no physical stores, and all orders must be placed online; everything is made to order, reducing excess production.

With an eye on social regeneration, all production takes place within 30 kilometers of their offices, allowing the business to support ethical and local production. They also work with companies that actively integrate migrants into the local community, sharing their local artisan crafts with future generations.

Ogyre

Ogyre is a digital platform that allows you to pay fishermen to fish for waste. When fishermen are out conducting their livelihood, they also collect a significant amount of waste from the ocean, especially plastic waste. Ogyre arranges for fishermen to get paid for collecting that waste, which in turn supports the local fishing communities, and then transforms the waste collected into new sustainable products.

Moving Towards a Regenerative Future

The masterclass concluded with a Q&A session, where it explained that working in regenerative businesses requires the same skills as any other business. But it also requires you to embrace a mindset where value comes from giving and that growth is about working together for a better future, and not just competition.

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Addressing the Skills Gap: OPIT Prepares Students for the Modern Job Market
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
August 18, 2025 · min read

Riccardo Ocleppo’s vision for the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) started when he realized that his own university-level training had not properly prepared him for the modern workplace. Technological innovation is moving quickly and changing the nature of work, while university curricula evolve slowly, in part due to systems in place designed to preserve the quality of courses.

Ocleppo was determined to create a higher learning institution that filled the gap between the two realities – delivering high-quality education while preparing professionals to work in dynamic environments that keep pace with technology. Thus, OPIT opened enrolments in 2023 with a curriculum that created a unique bridge between the present and the future.

This is the story of one student, Ania Jaca, whose time at OPIT gave her the skills to connect her knowledge of product design to full system deployment.

Meet Ania

Ania is an example of an active professional who was able to identify what was missing in her own skills that would be needed if she wanted to advance her career in the direction she desired.

Ania is a highly skilled professional who was working on product and industrial design at Deloitte. She has an MA in product design, speaks five languages, studied in China, and is an avid boxer. She had the intelligence and the temperament to succeed in her career, but felt that she lacked the skills to advance and move from determining how products look to how systems really work, scale, and evolve.

Ania taught herself skills such as Python, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud infrastructure, but soon realized that she needed a more structured education to go deeper. Thus, the search for her next steps began, and her introduction to OPIT.

OPIT appealed to Ania because it offered a fully EU-accredited MSc that she could pursue at her own pace, thanks to remote delivery and flexible hours. But more than that, it filled exactly the knowledge gap she was looking to build upon, teaching her technical foundations, but always with a focus on applications in the real world. Part of the appeal was the faculty, which includes professionals who are leaders in their field and who deal with current professional challenges on a daily basis, which they can bring into the classroom.

Ania enrolled in OPIT’s MSc in Applied Data Science & AI.

MSc in Applied Data Science and AI

This is OPIT’s first master’s program, which also launched in 2023, and is now one of four on offer. The course is designed for graduates like Ania who want a career at the intersection of management and technology. It is attractive to professionals who are already working in this area but lack the technical training to step into certain roles. OPIT requires no computer science prerequisites, so it accepted Ania with her MA in product design.

It is an intensive program that starts with foundational application courses in business, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and problem-solving. The program then moves towards applying data science and AI methodologies and tools to real-life business problems.

The course combines theoretical study with a capstone project that lets students apply what they learn in the real world, either at their existing company or through internship programs. Many of the projects developed by students go on to become fundamental to the businesses they work with.

Ania’s Path Forward

Ania is working on her capstone project with Neperia Group, an Italian-based IT systems development company that works mostly with financial, insurance, and industrial companies. They specialize in developing analysis tools for existing software to enhance insight, streamline management, minimize the impact of corrective and evolutionary interventions, and boost performance.

Ania is specifically working on tools for assessing vulnerabilities in codebases as an advanced cybersecurity tool.

Ania credits her studies at OPIT for helping her build solid foundations in data science, machine learning, and cloud workflows, giving her a thorough understanding of digital products from end to end. She feels this has prepared her for roles at the intersection between infrastructure, security, and deployment, which is exactly where she wants to be. OPIT is excited to see where Ania’s career takes her in the coming years.

Preparing for the Future of Work

Overall, studying at OPIT has helped Ania and others like her prepare for the future of work. According to the Visual Capitalist, the fastest-growing jobs between 2025 and 2030 will be in big data (up by 110%), Fintech engineers (up by 95%), AI and machine learning specialists (up by 85%), software application developers (up by 60%), and security management specialists (up by 55%).

However, while these industries are growing, entry-level opportunities are declining in areas such as software development and IT. This is because AI now performs many of the tasks associated with those roles. Instead, companies are looking for experienced professionals to take on roles that involve more strategic oversight and innovative problem-solving. But how do recent graduates leapfrog past experienced professionals when there is a lack of entry-level positions to make the transition?

This is another challenge that OPIT addresses in its course design. Students don’t just learn the theory, OPIT actively encourages them to focus on applications, allowing them to build experience while studying. The capstone project consolidates this, enabling students to demonstrate to future employers their expertise at deploying technology to solve problems.

OPIT also has a dynamic Career Services department that specifically works with students to prepare them for the types of roles they want. This focus on not only learning but building a career is one of the elements that makes OPIT stand out in preparing graduates for the workplace.

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AI Agents Are the Next Game-Changer in the Education Space
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
August 07, 2025 · min read

In many ways, the concept of education has remained the same over the millennia – the experienced and learned passing on their knowledge and wisdom to new generations. And some of the biggest revolutions in teaching and learning have been brought about by technology: from the printing press to computers to the internet, they have all changed and democratized the process of teaching and learning. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as the next big game-changer.

The emerging role of AI agents in education is the subject of a new e-book released by the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT). Going beyond simple AI tools, such as ChatGPT’s generative AI, the e-book looks at how sophisticated AI agents can be deployed as education allies, both in the general sense and referencing OPIT’s AI Copilot as a specific case study.

So, what can you expect to learn from OPIT’s e-book?

What Are AI Agents?

The e-book starts by explaining the concept of AI Agents. These are AI tools that go beyond simple “if a then x but if b then y” reasoning. Instead, they can work autonomously towards specified goals, with very little need for user intervention. To achieve this, the AI Agent must be able to perceive, make decisions, act, and adapt.

What those four steps look like in action depends on how the AI Agent is employed. Let’s take the example of an AI Agent deployed to deliver IT support, integrated with the IT system’s knowledge and user management system.

The AI Agent will perceive the nature of the problem from requests for help submitted by users, reading and understanding written requests, and also potentially gathering data directly from devices if they are networked. It then integrates this input with its IT system knowledge to understand the nature of the problem and the required solution.

The AI Agent will then decide the best way to solve the problem and plan what steps need to be taken. It should then be able to act. For example, it can verify the user’s identity and begin the password reset process, send detailed information to the user explaining how to solve the problem, or issue a ticket with the important information to the appropriate human IT specialist.

Based on outcomes, the AI Agent will assess its success in completing this task and incorporate that information into its knowledge base.

As well as saving time and money on these tasks, AI Agents can be more efficient, as they work continuously and reduce human error, especially for repetitive and mundane tasks. Scalability is another advantage of AI Agents, as they can be easily scaled up or down when workloads fluctuate.

AI Agents in Education

AI Agents can be deployed in education scenarios to achieve a number of different tasks, which is something that OPIT is doing with its OPIT AI Copilot.

These can be programmed to work as virtual teachers or study assistants that are available 24/7 and deliver personalized learning plans. For example, the OPIT AI Copilot is trained on OPIT’s library of educational content, including over 5,000 lectures and 3,500 hours of video content across 131 courses. From this base, it can show students the content they need to study based on their current stage in the course and answer questions posed by the student through a natural language interface.

If the student is struggling with concepts, the AI Agent can produce alternative learning materials that may work better with the student’s learning style. For advanced students, it can bring in related content that connects to their interests and understanding.

The AI Agent can help students prepare for exams by creating practice tests and issuing grades, even for long-form answers based on factors such as grammatical accuracy and the presence of essential concepts in the response. This kind of immediate feedback has been shown to improve student results over time.

The AI Agent is also useful for teachers, who can use it for grading simple tests and as a fairness check when grading large numbers of more complex papers. It can alert teachers when students are struggling and might benefit from direct intervention, and can identify course materials that are proving problematic for the cohort as a whole, flagging them up for review.

There are many other potential applications, such as creating virtual tours of lost or distant historical sites, virtual discussion moderation, resource gathering for assignments, and organizing references in the required format.

The Benefits of AI Agents in Education

The e-book takes a deep look at both the benefits and potential issues of AI in education. Some of the clearest benefits are personalized learning that moves beyond “one-size-fits-all” approaches and improved accessibility. At the same time, there are concerns around algorithmic bias impacting learning and reduced critical thinking due to over-reliance on AI tools.

But this is why the e-book emphasizes that AI is not a replacement for human teachers, but a tool that can be used to enhance the learning environment. OPIT devotes a chapter to discussing how teachers are becoming curators of dynamic teaching environments that leverage a variety of tools, including AI, to create stimulating and accessible learning spaces.

Essential to this is teaching students how to work with AI, when it is appropriate and when it can be a hindrance, and how to critically assess the content produced and delivered by AI. This is an essential skill for the future as AI becomes more prevalent in every aspect of our lives, and we must critically assess its outputs.

AI Agents Empowering Learning

Overall, the e-book assesses how AI Agents are being leveraged to empower both teachers and students in the education space. The recently released OPIT AI Copilot is one of the examples discussed in the e-book, but it is just the beginning. We fully expect more complex and sophisticated education AI Agents to emerge as the AI Agents, teachers, and students gain a better understanding of their capabilities. It is an exciting time to be in education.

Download the OPIT e-book AI in Education.

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OPIT Is Turning 2! What Have We Achieved in the Last 2 Years?
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
August 07, 2025 · min read

The Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) is turning two! It has been both a long journey and a whirlwind trip to reach this milestone. But it is also the perfect time to stop and reflect on what we have achieved over the last two years, as well as assess our hopes for the future. Join us as we map our journey over the last two years and look forward to future plans.

July 2023: Launching OPIT

OPIT officially launched as an EU-accredited online higher education institution in July 2023, and offered two core programs: a BSc in Modern Computer Science and an MSc in Applied Data Science and AI. Its first class matriculated in September of that year.

The launch of OPIT was several years in the making. Founder Riccardo Ocleppo was planning OPIT ever since he launched his first company, Docsity, in 2010, an online platform for students to share access to educational resources. As part of working on that project, Ocleppo had the chance to talk to thousands of students and professors and discovered just how big a gap there is between what is taught in universities today and job market demands. Ocleppo felt that this gap was especially wide in the field of computer science, and OPIT was his concept to fill that gap.

The vision was to provide university-level teaching that was accessible around the world through digital learning technologies and that was also affordable. Ocleppo’s vision also involved international professors and building strong relationships with global companies to ensure a truly international and fit-for-purpose learning experience.

One of the most important parts of launching OPIT was the recruitment of the faculty of professors, which Ocleppo was personally involved in. The idea was to build a roster of expert teachers and professionals who were leaders in the field and urge them to unite the teaching fundamentals with real-world applications and experience. The process involved screening more than 5,000 CVs, interviewing over 200 candidates, and recruiting 25 professors to form the core of OPIT’s faculty.

September 2023: The Inaugural Cohort

When OPIT officially launched, its first cohort included 100 students from 38 different countries. Divided between the BSc and MSc courses, students were also allowed to participate in one of two different tracks. Some chose the standard track to accommodate their existing work commitments, while others chose to fast-track to complete their studies sooner.

OPIT was pleased with its success in making the courses international and accessible, with notable representation from Africa. In the first cohort, 40% of MSc students were also from non-STEM fields, showing OPIT’s success at engaging professionals looking to develop skills for the modern workplace.

July 2024: A Growing Curriculum

Building on this initial success, in 2024, OPIT expanded its academic offering to include a second BSc program in Digital Business, and three new MSc programs in Digital Business & Innovation, Responsible Artificial Intelligence, and Enterprise Cybersecurity. These were all offered in addition to the original two programs.

The new course offerings led to total student numbers growing to over 300, hailing from 78 different countries. This also led to an expansion of the faculty, with professionals recruited from major business leaders such as Symantec, Microsoft, PayPal, McKinsey, MIT, Morgan Stanley, Amazon, and U.S. Naval Research. This focus on professional experience and real-world applications is ideal for OPIT as 80% of the student body are active working professionals.

January 2025: First Graduating Class

OPIT held its first-ever graduation ceremony in Valletta, Malta, on March 8, 2025. The ceremony was a hybrid event, with students attending both in person and virtually. The first graduating class consisted of 40 students who received an MSc in Applied Data Science and AI.

OPIT’s MSc programs include a capstone project that sees students apply their learning to real-world challenges. Projects included the use of large language models for the creation of chatbots in the ed-tech field, the digitalization of customer support processes in the paper and non-woven industry, personal data protection systems, AI applications for environmental sustainability, and predictive models for disaster prevention linked to climate change. Since many OPIT students realized their capstone projects within their organizations, OPIT also saw itself successfully facilitating digital innovation in the field.

July 2025: New Learning Environments

The next step for OPIT is not just to teach others how to leverage AI to work smarter, but to start applying AI solutions in our own business environment. To this end, OPIT unveiled its OPIT AI Copilot at the Microsoft AI Agents and the Future of Higher Education event in Milan in June 2025.

The OPIT AI Copilot is a specialist AI Agent designed to enhance learning in OPIT’s fully digital environment. OPIT AI Copilot acts as a personal tutor and study companion, and but rather than being trained on the World Wide Web, it is specifically trained on OPIT’s educational archive of around 3,500 hours of lectures and 3,000 proprietary documents.

The OPIT AI Copilot then provides real-time, personalized guidance that adapts to where the student is in the course and the progress they have shown in grasping the material. As well as pulling from existing materials, the OPIT AI Copilot can generate content to deepen learning, such as code samples and practical exams. It can also answer questions posed by the students with answers grounded in the official course material. The tool is available 24/7, and also has an intelligent examination mode, which prevents cheating.

In this way, OPIT AI Copilot enriches the OPIT learning environment by providing students with 24/7 personalized support for their learning journey, ideal for busy professionals balancing work and study. It is a step towards facing the challenge of “one-size-fits-all” education approaches that have plagued learning institutions for millennia.

September 2025: A New Cohort

On the heels of the OPIT AI Copilot launch, OPIT is excited about recruiting its next round of students, with applications open until September 2025. If you are interested in joining OPIT, you can learn more about its courses here.

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Authority Magazine: Paola Tirelli of RWS Group on the Future of Artificial Intelligence
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
August 04, 2025 · min read

Source:

By Kate Mowbray, 7 min read


“To engage more women in the AI industry, I believe we need to start by highlighting the diversity of roles available. Not all of them are purely technical. AI needs linguists, designers, ethicists, project managers, and many other profiles. Showing that there’s space for different kinds of expertise can make the field feel more accessible. We also need more visible role models: women who are leading, innovating, and mentoring in AI.”

As part of our series about the future of Artificial Intelligence, I had the pleasure of interviewing Paola Tirelli, linguistic AI specialist with RWS Group. Paola is also an MSc in Applied Data Science and AI graduate of OPIT — Open Institute of Technology, a global online educational institution.

With over a decade in translation and project management, Paola is passionate about integrating technology with language services. She considers bridging language barriers and leading teams to success her strength.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share with us the ‘backstory” of how you decided to pursue this career path in AI?

Mybackground is in linguistics and localization, and I’ve spent years working with translation, quality assurance, and automation tools. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of language and technology. The turning point came when I realized I had reached a plateau in my role and felt a strong urge to grow, contribute more meaningfully, and understand the changes reshaping the industry.

That curiosity naturally led me to AI, a space where my linguistic expertise could meet innovation. I began to see how powerful AI could be in solving specific challenges in localization, especially around quality and efficiency. This inspired me to pursue a Master’s in Applied Data Science and AI at OPIT, to deepen my skills and explore how to bridge my domain knowledge with the new tools AI offers.

What lessons can others learn from your story?

It’s never too late to reinvent yourself. You don’t need to have a technical background from the start to enter the AI field. With strong motivation, curiosity, and a willingness to learn, you can go very far.

Embracing your own expertise, whatever it may be, can actually become your greatest asset. AI isn’t just about code and algorithms; it’s about solving real-world problems, and that requires diverse perspectives. If you’re driven by purpose and open to growth, you can not only adapt to change, but you can help shape it.

Can you tell our readers about the most interesting projects you are working on now?

What I find most exciting about my current work is the opportunity to experiment and explore where AI can truly be a game changer in the localization space. I’m particularly interested in projects that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, initiatives involving massive amounts of data or complex workflows that no client would have considered feasible due to time, cost, or resource constraints. Thanks to AI, we can now approach these challenges in entirely new ways, unlocking value and enabling solutions that were previously out of reach, such as automated terminology extraction or adapting content across different language variants.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m especially grateful to the person who would later become my manager, Marina Pantcheva. At the time, I had already started my Master’s at OPIT and was looking for the right direction to apply what I was learning. I knew I wanted to stay within my company, but I wasn’t sure where to focus.

Then I attended a talk she gave on AI. It was clear, engaging, and incredibly inspiring. It felt like a calling. I knew I wanted to work with her and be part of her team. When I eventually joined the AI team, she believed in my potential from the start. She gave me the space to ask questions, explore ideas, and gradually take on more responsibility. That trust and support made all the difference. It helped me grow into this new field with confidence and purpose.

What are the 5 things that most excite you about the AI industry? Why?

· We’re writing the future — AI is still in its early stages, and we don’t yet know the limits of what it can do. Being part of this journey feels like contributing to something truly transformative.

· Unthinkable opportunities are now possible — Tasks that once required enormous manual effort or were simply out of reach due to scale or complexity are now achievable. AI opens doors to projects that were previously unimaginable.

· Access to knowledge like never before — AI enhances how we interact with information, making it faster and more intuitive to explore, learn, and apply knowledge across domains.

· Cross-disciplinarity — AI touches every field, so it’s full of opportunities for people from different backgrounds.

· Problem-solving at scale — AI can help automate tedious tasks and improve decision-making in complex workflows.

What are the 5 things that concern you about the AI industry? Why?

· AI systems are not 100% reliable, and their outputs can sometimes be inaccurate or misleading. This raises questions about how much we can (or should) trust them, especially in high-stakes contexts.

· As we integrate AI into more aspects of our work and lives, there’s a risk of becoming overly reliant on it, potentially at the expense of human judgment, creativity, and critical thinking.

· If we delegate too much to machines, we may gradually lose some of our own cognitive abilities, like problem-solving, memory, or even language skills, simply because we’re not exercising them as much.

· Without clear communication and reskilling strategies, AI can be perceived as a threat rather than a tool. This fear can create resistance and anxiety, especially in industries undergoing rapid transformation.

· From bias in algorithms to the misuse of generative tools, the ethical challenges are real. We need strong frameworks to ensure AI is developed and used responsibly, with transparency and accountability.

As you know, there is an ongoing debate between prominent scientists, (personified as a debate between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg,) about whether advanced AI poses an existential danger to humanity. What is your position about this?

I think it’s important to separate science fiction from science. While I don’t believe current AI poses an existential threat, I do believe that we need to be very intentional about how we develop and use it. The real risks today are more about misuse, bias, and lack of transparency than about a doomsday scenario.

What can be done to prevent such concerns from materializing? And what can be done to assure the public that there is nothing to be concerned about?

Transparency and education are key. We need to involve more people in the conversation; not just engineers, but also linguists, ethicists, teachers, and everyday users. Clear communication about what AI can and cannot do would help build trust. Regulation also has to catch up with the speed of innovation, without stifling it.

As you know, there are not many women in the AI industry. Can you advise what is needed to engage more women into the AI industry?

My perception is slightly different, because I come from the localization industry, where there’s a strong presence of women. So, when I transitioned into AI, I brought with me a sense of belonging and confidence that not everyone may feel when entering a more male-dominated space.

To engage more women in the AI industry, I believe we need to start by highlighting the diversity of roles available. Not all of them are purely technical. AI needs linguists, designers, ethicists, project managers, and many other profiles. Showing that there’s space for different kinds of expertise can make the field feel more accessible. We also need more visible role models: women who are leading, innovating, and mentoring in AI.

Representation matters. When you see someone like you doing something you thought was out of reach, it becomes easier to imagine yourself there too.

What is your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that had relevance to your own life?

It’s never too late to be what you might have been,” by George Eliot.

This quote really resonated with me when I decided to shift my career path toward AI. Starting a Master’s in Applied Data Science and AI while working full-time wasn’t easy, but that quote gave me the courage to step into a field that initially felt far from my comfort zone, and to trust that my unique background could actually be a strength, not a limitation.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

If I could start a movement, it would focus on democratizing access to AI education and tools, especially for people from non-technical backgrounds. I truly believe that AI should not be limited to engineers or data scientists. It has the potential to empower professionals from all fields, from linguists to educators to healthcare workers. I’d love to see a world where people feel confident using AI not just as a tool, but as a partner in creativity, problem-solving, and innovation, regardless of their background, gender, or location.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I usually share updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paola-tirelli-9abbb32a9/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

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EFMD Global: AI agent supports students and staff
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
August 04, 2025 · min read

Source:

By Stephanie Mullins, 3 min read


OPIT – Open Institute of Technology, a global online educational institution, has launched its very own AI agent: OPIT AI Copilot. The institution is among the first in Europe to introduce a custom AI assistant for students and faculty.

OPIT’s founder and director is Riccardo Ocleppo, who previously studied at top business schools including London Business School and INSEAD. He founded OPIT to democratise access to high-quality higher education in the fields that will be in high demand in the coming decades, particularly those in tech, such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, etc.  

According to the recent GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey 2025 report, employers are placing increasing value on knowledge of how to use AI tools when hiring for roles. This indicates the relevance of an education in tech in today’s business landscape, and the adoption of an AI assistant is designed to benefit students within their own AI and tech education.

Speaking on the OPIT AI Copilot, Ocleppo says, “We want to put technology at the service of higher education. We’re ready to develop solutions not only for our own students, but also to share with other global institutions that are eager to innovate the learning experience, to face a future in education that’s fast approaching.” 

An integrated AI assistant for smarter learning and teaching

Developed by an in-house team of faculty, engineers, and researchers, OPIT AI Copilot has been trained on OPIT’s entire educational archive developed over the past three years. Due to this, OPIT AI Copilot can provide responses that adapt in real-time to the student’s progress, offering direct links to referenced sources within the virtual learning environment.

It can also “see” exactly where the student is in their course modules, avoids revealing information from unreleased modules, and provides consistent guidance for a fully integrated learning experience. During exams, it switches to “anti-cheating” mode, detecting the exam period and automatically transitioning from a study assistant to basic research tool, disabling direct answers on exam topics. 

OPIT AI Copilot also supports faculty and staff by grading assignments and generating educational materials, freeing up resources for teaching. It offers professors and tutors self-assessment tools and feedback rubrics that cut correction time by up to 30%. 

The AI assistant was unveiled during the event “AI Agents and the Future of Higher Education” hosted at Microsoft Italia in Milan in June 2025, bringing together representatives from some of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions to discuss the impact of AI in education. This featured talks from founder and director Ocleppo alongside OPIT Rector Francesco Profumo, as well as talks from Danielle Barrios O’Neill from the Royal College of Art and Francisco Machin from IE University. 

Through live demos and panel discussions, the event explored how the technological revolution is redefining study, teaching, and interaction between students, educators, and institutions, opening new possibilities for the future of higher education. 

 “We’re in the midst of a deep transformation, where AI is no longer just a tool: it’s an environment, a context that radically changes how we learn, teach, and create. But we must be cautious: it’s not a shortcut. It’s a cultural, ethical, and pedagogical challenge, and to meet it we need the courage to shift perspectives, rethink traditional models, and build solid bridges between human and artificial intelligence,” says Professor Profumo. 

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