The CREF-Sony Joint Initiative (JICS) represents a pioneering collaboration between a public institution and a corporate research laboratory, combining science, arts, and public engagement to foster innovation and address global challenges. The initiative focuses on three core projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

Sustainable Cities

Ongoing transformations in our cities require a strategic and smart approach to advance toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This project aims to develop “what-if” technologies to:

• (i) analyze accessibility to services through sustainable means to improve inclusivity and understand economic dynamics in urban contexts;

• (ii) design and test future scenarios to address the socio-economic challenges of cities;

• (iii) create advanced metrics, modeling tools, and AI-powered assistants that can be adopted by institutions and policymakers globally to optimize urban planning and redefine city spaces.

The Information Ecosystem (Infosphere)

JICS aims to analyze and improve the dynamics of information ecosystems—environments where access to reliable, pluralistic, and high-quality information is promoted while respecting the fundamental principles of democratic societies.

To this end, we develop tools capable of monitoring information production and consumption, analyzing the activation of behavioral heuristics, agenda-setting, and recommendation systems that influence the spread of information and the fragmentation of public debate. Beyond analysis, our goal is to translate research into concrete solutions, providing tools to various stakeholders (digital platforms, media, users, and policymakers) to enhance access to reliable, diverse information and reduce the formation of echo chambers.

AI and Machine Learning for Innovation (Augmented Creativity)

JICS aims to study the interactions between Human Intelligence (HI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to foster the emergence of what can be defined as “Augmented Creativity”—human creativity supported by new AI tools.

The synthesis between HI and AI achieved through Augmented Creativity opens up new scenarios for developing innovative ideas and technologies for the advancement of humanity and the search for sustainable solutions to current social challenges. A side effect of this process, which is still in its infancy, will also be a global rethinking of what we call Artificial Intelligence today, with the ultimate goal of fostering the birth of a new generation of artificially intelligent agents capable of supporting human cognitive endeavors.