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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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Times of Malta: Malta-based OPIT launches innovative AI tool for students, academic staff
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Sep 22, 2025 5 min read

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The launch was officially unveiled during an event held at Microsoft Italia in Milan, titled AI Agents and the Future of Higher Education.

A tech-focused higher education institution based and accredited in Malta has developed a new AI assistant designed to support both students and faculty.

In a statement, the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), announced the launch of the OPIT AI Copilot.

With the Fall Term starting on September 15, OPIT said it has already launched beta testing with faculty champions and is currently piloting full-course integrations.

Students who will be part of the pilot-phase will be able to prompt the entire OPIT – Open Institute of Technology knowledge base, personalized to their own progress.

The platform was developed entirely in-house to fully personalize the experience for the students, and also make it a real-life playground for in-class projects. It is among the first custom-built AI agents to be deployed by an accredited European higher education institution.

The launch was officially unveiled during an event held at Microsoft Italia in Milan, titled AI Agents and the Future of Higher Education

The gathering brought together academics and technology leaders from prominent European Institutions, such as Instituto de Empresa (IE University), OPIT itself and the Royal College of Arts, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the university experience.

The OPIT AI Copilot has been trained on the institute’s complete academic archive, a collection created over the past three years that includes 131 courses, more than 3,500 hours of recorded lectures, 7,500 study resources, 320 certified assessments, and thousands of exercises and original learning documents.

Unlike generic AI tools, the Copilot is deeply integrated with OPIT’s learning management system, allowing it to track each student’s progress and provide tailored support.

This integration means the assistant can reference relevant sources within the learning environment, adapt to the student’s stage of study, and ensure that unreleased course content remains inaccessible.

A mobile app is also scheduled for release this autumn, that will allow students to download exercise and access other tools.

During examinations, the Copilot automatically switches to what the institute calls an “anti-cheating mode”, restricting itself to general research support rather than providing direct answers.

For OPIT’s international community of 500 students from nearly 100 countries, many of whom balance studies with full-time work, the ability to access personalised assistance at any time of day is a key advantage.

“Eighty-five per cent of students are already using large language models in some way to study,” said OPIT founder and director Riccardo Ocleppo. “We wanted to go further by creating a solution tailored to our own community, reflecting the real experiences of remote learners and working professionals.”

Tool aims to cut correction time by 30%

The Copilot will also reduce administrative burdens for faculty. It can help grade assignments, generate new educational materials, and create rubrics that allow teachers to cut correction time by as much as 30 per cent.

According to OPIT, this will free up staff to dedicate more time to teaching and direct student engagement.

At the Milan event, Rector Francesco Profumo underlined the broader implications of AI in higher education. “We are in the midst of a deep transformation, where AI is no longer just a tool: it is an environment that radically changes how we learn, teach, and create,” he said.

“But it is not a shortcut. It is a cultural, ethical, and pedagogical challenge, and to meet it we must have the courage to rethink traditional models and build bridges between human and artificial intelligence.”

OPIT was joined on stage by representatives from other leading institutions, including Danielle Barrios O’Neill of the Royal College of Art, who spoke about the role of AI in art and creativity, and Francisco Machin of IE University, who discussed applications in business and management education.

OPIT student Asya Mantovani, also employed at a leading technology and consulting firm in Italy,  gave a first-hand account of balancing professional life with online study.

The assistant has been in development for the past eight months, involving a team of OPIT professors, researchers, and engineers.

Ocleppo stressed that OPIT intends to make its AI innovations available beyond its own institution. “We want to put technology at the service of higher education,” he said.

“Our goal is to develop solutions not only for our own students, but also to share with global institutions eager to innovate the learning experience in a future that is approaching very quickly.”

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E-book: AI Agents in Education
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Sep 15, 2025 3 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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