The Lombardy Region has approved Milan's bid for an AI Innovation and Development Zone. The initiative, known as "Officina AI," is a public-private cooperation of 19 organizations dedicated to assisting enterprises, particularly SMEs, from their initial AI projects to industrialization. Alvise Biffi, president of the Milanese industrialists, emphasized that the goal is not merely to absorb the technology, but to help produce it, beginning with "physical AI", in which local manufacturing and mechatronics provide a distinct advantage in Europe. According to Marco Taisch, the project's founder, the difficulty for SMEs is no longer determining whether AI works, but rather how to incorporate technology into processes that produce measurable benefits. The announcement comes as Italy tightens its regulatory environment, with the legislative decree implementing the European AI Act going into effect on October 23, 2026.