Launched MFGPT, one of Italy’s first AI agents in the media landscape
Ingested 40 years of archives and real-time financial data into BigQuery
Accelerated time-to-market from concept to revenue-generating technology
Converted trial users into paid subscribers and secured B2B enterprise agreements
Class Editori partnered with Softlab to build a scalable data platform on Google Cloud and MFGPT, one of Italy's first generative AI financial news agents. By using BigQuery, Firestore, and Vertex AI, the company unified decades of content to deliver personalized, revenue-generating experiences for subscribers and enterprise clients.
Class Editori partnered with Softlab to build a scalable data platform on Google Cloud and MFGPT, one of Italy's first generative AI financial news agents. By using BigQuery, Firestore, and Vertex AI, the company unified decades of content to deliver personalized, revenue-generating experiences for subscribers and enterprise clients.
The challenge: Meeting new consumer expectations in the age of AI
Class Editori, a premier Italian media company specializing in finance, fashion, and lifestyle, has always prioritized technological innovation. From launching one of Italy's first websites in 1996 to becoming a major data broker for stock exchange information, the company understands that staying competitive requires evolving from a traditional media house into a tech media company.
With global giants like Google, Amazon, and Netflix setting new standards for personalized content delivery, Class Editori recognized that consumer habits were shifting toward conversational interfaces. The company faced the challenge of making 40 years of high-quality journalistic content and complex financial data accessible in a modern, interactive format while ensuring data accuracy and preserving Class Editori’s brand identity.
To address the challenges, they needed a robust foundation that could centralize fragmented data sources and power sophisticated AI agents. Class Editori chose to work with Google Cloud and partner Softlab to accelerate its transformation and maintain its position as a tech-forward media company.
Vertex AI provides access to many generative AI models through a single point. It’s a complete solution both for standard machine learning and more advanced generative AI.
Andrea Pazzaglia
Head of AI, Class Editori
The solution: A data-first foundation on Google Cloud
Softlab, a consulting firm specializing in breakthrough AI and data projects, helped Class Editori build an end-to-end data and AI platform entirely on Google Cloud. Softlab guided the initial setup, ensuring a secure and scalable architecture that integrated 40 years of archives and real-time news feeds.
To remain competitive today, we not only have to be a media company but a tech media company. Softlab and Google Cloud enable us to deliver content in a way that resonates with audiences.
Roberto Bernabò
Chief Digital Development Manager, Class Editori
The partnership went beyond standard consultation: Softlab acted as a specialized partner committed to customer results. Softlab brought the right expertise to navigate complex initial configurations, helping Class Editori's IT team set up robust security rules and manage the cloud environment effectively. By using Google Cloud managed services, Softlab ensured the project minimized "technology debt" so the team could focus on scaling quickly rather than managing infrastructure.
The platform uses BigQuery as its central data warehouse for structured data, while Dataflow manages complex pipelines. For its AI capabilities, Class Editori chose Vertex AI, citing its completeness for both standard machine learning and generative AI.
"Vertex AI enables efficient access and onboarding of models while also offering tools for tracking experiments, building pipelines, and deploying endpoints," says Andrea Pazzaglia, Head of AI at Class Editori.
The flagship achievement of this partnership is MFGPT, one of Italy’s first generative AI agents in the media landscape. Built using Gemini Flash and Pro models, MFGPT provides subscribers with a conversational interface to query articles, podcasts, videos, and real-time financial data.
Unlike generic LLMs, MFGPT is a multi-agent system capable of generating charts, performing company performance analyses, and setting up autonomous personalized alerts using Cloud Functions. For instance, users can request to be updated by email whenever new content on a specific topic is published or schedule automated reports on investment portfolios. This ensures users receive high-fidelity, professional-grade financial insights directly from Class Editori’s verified sources.
Feedback from customers has been highly positive. Users report that MFGPT outperforms general-purpose LLMs because of its focus on finance, offering deeper data analysis and rich infographics that other models cannot provide. Crucially, the system includes necessary guardrails to comply with Italian laws to provide information without crossing the line into offering personalized financial advice.
Impact: Driving engagement and new revenue streams
Since its launch on the Milano Finanza website, MFGPT has successfully converted trial users into paid subscribers and opened doors to B2B agreements with major financial boards. By prioritizing time to value, Softlab helped Class Editori move from idea to a production-ready offering that was immediately ready to generate revenue.
"It’s not just another exercise on paper. It’s something real, working, and revenue generating," says Gianluca Arienti, Senior Manager at Softlab. "It uses AI to bring content quality and services using Google Cloud infrastructure to enable us to work very efficiently and quickly."
Internally, the team is developing algorithms to improve customer retention, such as churn prediction models and dynamic paywalls. In addition, Class Editori plans to segment MFGPT’s capabilities to serve different levels of financial literacy—offering educational tools for basic consumers, news for investors, and advanced trading data for professional traders.
We are the first company in Italy to develop a specialized AI agent for the media landscape. Now, we are working with Softlab and Google Cloud to scale out this initial success to other areas of our business.
Roberto Bernabò
Chief Digital Development Manager, Class Editori
Class Editori is treating this launch as the first step in rolling out more services. The team is currently working on expanding their AI agent portfolio to other publications, including Gambero Rosso, a leading food and wine magazine. While the financial agent relies on charts and data, the new lifestyle agent will include features like maps to view restaurants.
Class Editori is a leading Italian media company delivering financial, economic, and lifestyle news through newspapers, magazines, TV channels, and digital platforms. Founded 40 years ago, the company has evolved into a "tech media company," leveraging data and innovation to serve consumers and business professionals alike.
Industry: Media and Entertainment
Location: Italy
Products: BigQuery, Gemini Enterprise, Vertex AI, Cloud Functions, Dataflow, Cloud Run, Firestore
About Google Cloud partner — Softlab
Softlab, a Google Cloud partner, helps enterprises across industries to integrate and leverage advanced data analytics and AI, RPA, and digital sales technologies.
