Claude Impact Lab Milan: from access barriers to working prototypes

On September 9, at Claude Conversations Milan, we sat around the tables at Fabbrica del Vapore and asked a simple question: how can AI make the public services of the Comune di Milano reachable for everyone? For people with disabilities, for older residents, for those who don't speak Italian, for those who can't read small print.

Each table closed the evening with one sentence. Those sentences are now the briefs of this Impact Lab.

On Saturday, October 3, as part of Milano Digital Week, we move from conversation to code. One day, small teams, Claude, real city data, and a jury from the Comune di Milano, Smart City Lab and Anthropic.

The challenge

Accessibility in the broadest sense: not only getting from A to B, but reaching information, services and everyday life in the city.

  • Where exactly do people get stuck, and can a prototype remove that friction?

  • Which barriers are about language, and which are structural and need more than a chatbot?

  • What can AI realistically do today, and what must stay human?

  • What would it take for the Comune to actually adopt it, beyond a demo day?

What you get

  • Briefs grounded in the problems raised by citizens, builders and public servants on September 9

  • A starter repository with the brief, pointers to datasets (Comune di Milano open data, mobility and transport accessibility, cultural venues, and more) and submission instructions, so nobody starts from a blank page

  • Mentors on the floor: Claude Community volunteers for technical questions, and people from the Comune di Milano who know the services and the data

  • A jury from the Comune di Milano, Smart City Lab and Anthropic, and a final showcase of the projects

How it works

  • Teams are formed by the organizers before the event, balancing skills (development, design, accessibility, public services)

  • Each team needs at least one Claude Max subscription. Anthropic does not provide accounts during the day, so please tell us in the registration form if you have one

  • Each team submits the project through the repository, with a 2-minute video

  • In-person only, no streaming

Who should join

Developers, designers and service designers, accessibility specialists, data people, public administration staff, civic tech groups, nonprofits working with vulnerable communities, founders, researchers and students.

You don't need to have attended September 9 to join.

Good to know

  • Limited to ~90 participants. Registration requires approval; we will confirm your spot and send reminders before the event. If your plans change, please free your seat for someone on the waiting list

  • Language: Italian primarily, English welcome

  • Bring your laptop and charger

Organized by the Claude Community Milan, in partnership with the Comune di Milano, Smart City Lab and The Innovation Group, within Milano Digital Week.