Summer at Sony CSL – Rome brought about significant developments across the lab’s main research areas, which centre on studying Complex Systems and their application to various aspects of human life. Sony CSL – Rome functions as a scientific ecosystem where curiosity and interdisciplinary research are continuously linked to real-world impact. The organisation examines numerous perspectives, including urban organisation, equitable access to resources and opportunities, and how creativity can enhance interactions with emerging technologies. Additionally, it aims to understand which innovations are likely to have the most substantial influence on our future, prompting us to reflect on the role we should play as human beings. This collaborative effort, bolstered by partnerships with the Enrico Fermi Research Centre and Sapienza University of Rome, has led to a growing number of publications in leading scientific journals. These publications provide valuable insights into how complexity shapes various aspects of human endeavours.
Cities
The paper Revealing the core-periphery structure of cities (Federica Fanelli, Hygor Melo, Matteo Bruno, Vittorio Loreto) applies concepts from statistical physics to urban systems, showing how amenities cluster into cores, intermediate zones, and peripheries. This framework highlights how accessibility and inequality are embedded in the spatial organization of cities.
Complementing this, Introducing Friction of Space into the Geography of Cultural Consumption (Lorenzo Biferale, Alessandro Crociata Lavinia Rossi Mori, Claudio Chiappetta, Matteo Bruno) uses GPS mobility data to study how proximity to cultural amenities shapes cultural consumption, revealing persistent spatial inequalities in access and participation.
Finally, Road-Width-Aware Network Optimisation for Bike Lane Planning (Riccardo Basilone, Matteo Bruno, Hygor Piaget Monteiro Melo, Michele Avalle, Vittorio Loreto) introduces a new framework for planning cycling infrastructure by integrating road width data into network simulations. Focusing on Milan, the study shows how protected bike lanes can be optimised to balance connectivity for cyclists with minimal disruption to car traffic. The results demonstrate that extensive, realistic cycling networks can be created with limited impact on existing roads, providing urban planners with flexible strategies for the transition to sustainable mobility.
Human Creativity and AI
Two papers present new methods to expand AI’s creative potential. Dreaming Learning (Alessandro Londei, Matteo Benati, Denise Lanzieri, Vittorio Loreto) introduces an approach that allows machines to internally explore new ideas while remaining consistent with prior knowledge. This enables the development of less conservative and more adaptive solutions.
The second paper, Lyapunov Learning at the Onset of Chaos (Alessandro Londei, Denise Lanzieri, Matteo Benati, Vittorio Loreto), builds on this concept by leveraging the system’s own complex dynamics. This method pushes AI close to instability, paradoxically enhancing its ability to handle novel situations and creative challenges.
Economy and Technological Innovation
The study Comparative analysis of technological fitness and coherence at different geographical scales (Matteo Straccamore, Matteo Bruno, Andrea Tacchella) shows that the effects of technological specialisation and diversification on economic growth vary depending on the territorial scale. While specialisation benefits metropolitan areas, it hinders growth at larger scales, whereas diversification enhances national and metropolitan performance but not regional growth. These findings emphasise the importance of tailoring innovation policies to geographical contexts.
Exploring the Origins of Novelty
The paper Modelling singularities in macroevolution (Alessandro Bellina, Giordano De Marzo, Vittorio Loreto) develops mathematical models based on the Theory of the Adjacent Possible, which explain sudden explosive growth in systems like population, technology, and biological evolution. The results suggest that apparent singularities are not actual infinities, but signs of deep transitions where new combinations of existing elements open unforeseen trajectories of change. Another published paper on the same topic from the same authors here: Full spectrum of novelties in time-dependent urn.
Research on complexity shows that sudden changes, inequalities, and breakthroughs often arise from hidden dynamics that connect individual actions to collective outcomes. By bringing these mechanisms to light, we are reminded of our role as active participants in steering innovation, creating fairer societies, and ensuring that technology truly serves human life. The work at Sony CSL in Rome illustrates that understanding complexity is not just about acquiring knowledge; it is also about consciously shaping the future.