Marco Camisani Calzolari (born March 1969) is an Italian and naturalized British university professor, author, and television personality specializing in digital communications, transformation, and Artificial Intelligence. He advises the Italian government and police force on ethical AI use and digital safety and serves as a presenter on Italian television and radio covering communications and technology, including hosting the digital section of news show Striscia la Notizia.[1] [2] His research gained international attention in 2012 after creating an algorithm claiming to identify real Twitter users from fake users of 'bots'.
Camisani Calzolari was born in Milan, Italy where he began his television career, co-hosting on local provider LA7 in (2001) and later Sky Italia (2004).[3] In 2008 Camisani Calzolari moved to the UK where he founded multiple digital start-ups. He is now a naturalised British citizen and applied to become a "Freeman of the City" in June 2022. [4] Camisani Calzolari is now based in the UK but still holds business interests in Italy where he is 'Scientific Coordinator' for the Masters programme in 'Science and Health Communication' at the Universita’ San Raffaele of Milan.[5]
On the 14th of May 2024, Camisani Calzolari was awarded the Knight of the Italian Republic (Order of the Star of Italy).[6] [7]
Camisani Calzolari began his academic career at the Università Statale di Milano in 2007, until chairing a course on Corporate Communication and Digital Languages at the IULM University of Milan between 2007 and 2010.[8] [9] During this time Camisani Calzolari published his first written work under the title 'Impresa 4.0'.[10]
After moving to London, Camisani Calzolari focussed on a number of digital start-ups including 'Digitalevaluation ltd' where he would publish the results of his Twitter algorithm study. Following its publication, he accepted a role as Affiliate Practitioner at the Centre for Culture Media & Regulation (CCMR), University of Brunel London, and subsequently another role at a British University as Lecturer in Digital Communication at the LCA Business School/[11]
Camisani Calzolari then returned to the Italy as a lecturer on Interactive Digital Communication at the University of Milan (Universita Statale di Milano) before holding a series of roles at the European University of Rome between 2017 and 2023 including Adjunct Professor and Chair at the course in Digital Communication and Scientific Director of the course in Digital Transformation. During this time Camisani Calzolari published "The Fake News Bible" in 2018.[12] Camisani Calzolari is a member of the Advisory Board, ImpreSapiens Research Center, Sapienza Università di Roma.
In 2012, Camisani Calzolari's research came into the focus of the public eye following the publication of his findings in a study analysing the followers of high-profile public figures and corporations.[13] He developed a computer algorithm claiming to be able to distinguish real followers from computer-generated "bots". The algorithm compiled data correlative of human activity such as having a name, image, physical address, using punctuation and cross-account activity. Genuine Twitter users were considered to have written at least 50 posts and possessed over 30 followers themselves.[14] The findings led to scrutiny of several individuals and corporations for allegedly purchasing followers.[15] [16] [17]
Camisani Calzolari is best for known for his work in improving accessibility to digital and tech solutions for everyday business and personal use. His work in digital and communications has been included in several publications including: Cyberhumanism (2023) The Fake News Bible (2018), First Digital Aid for Business (2015), The Digital World (2013), Escape from Facebook (2012), Enterprise 4.0. Camisani Calzolari was also the subject of a University College London (UCL) case study titled Marco Camisani-Calzolari: the Digital Renaissance Man.[18]
Camisani Calzolari holds several advisory and consultancy roles within the Italian Government. Since 2023, he has been a member of the Coordination Committee on Artificial Intelligence at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers[19] and an advisor in Digital Skills and Designer of initiatives for the Department for Digital Transformation.[20] He also serves as the official spokesperson for the State Police, where he educates the public on preventing digital threats, avoiding digital scams, and explains criminal cases.[21] [22]
Camisani Calzolari hosts a digital segment for Striscia la Notizia, an Italian satirical television program on the Mediaset-controlled Canale 5.[23] [24]
He is a contributor to the Italian public news network RAI 1, covering digital affairs. He has presented on weekly segments that include: RAI 1 – Digital First Aid (TV Program – 2014 to 2017) in the program "Uno Mattina" as a digital expert; RTL 102.5 – Technology Space (Radio Program – 2012 to 2017) in the morning news program as a digital expert (100 episodes from 2012 to 2017); DIGITALK Talkshow (2004) as host of Digitalk, the first Italian talk show on Digital technologies; Misterweb (TV Program – 2001 to 2002), he presented the TV program “MisterWeb”, an entertainment show about the Internet, funny videos, and digital culture, on "LA7".[25] [26] [27]
Camisani Calzolari featured alongside his son in an advertising campaign headed by the Department for Digital Transformation (Government of Italy), in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior in order to promote the use of Electronic Identity Cards (CIE), enabled by the CIE ID app, as a tool for accessing the digital services of the Italian public administration.[28] [29] [30]