Slovenia Hosts AI Forum, Emphasizing Progress and Responsibility

Slovenia's commitment to advancing artificial intelligence was on full display at the sixth presidential forum, held at the Brdo Congress Centre. Organized under the auspices of President Nataša Pirc Musar, the event convened experts to tackle the complex ethical and societal challenges posed by AI.

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Takrat so se začele prve raziskave na Inštitutu Jožef Stefan in na Univerzi v Ljubljani. Na univerzitetni ravni jo tudi poučujemo že 50 let, kar je res dolga tradicija.

Dr. Vida Groznik, a researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Ljubljana, emphasized Slovenia's deep-rooted history in AI. "We have a long tradition of over 50 years in teaching AI at the university level," she noted, recalling the early research at the Jožef Stefan Institute. Groznik urged Slovenia to maintain its active role in AI development, stating, "We have not only been observers of events in history but also those who worked and developed artificial intelligence and were recognized worldwide. And there is no reason why we should become mere observers now."

The forum also delved into the crucial aspect of transferring AI knowledge into the economy. Nenad Šutanovac of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia pointed out the need for a stronger environment to promote digitalization, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, which lag behind the European average in digital maturity.

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V zgodovini nismo bili samo opazovalci dogajanja, ampak tudi tisti, ki smo delali in razvijali umetno inteligenco ter bili prepoznavni po svetu. In ni razloga, da bi zdaj postali samo opazovalci.

Discussions explored the balance between AI's progress and its safeguards, freedom and responsibility, and the ethical, regulatory, and societal frameworks needed. The event culminated in the awarding of the Golden Order of Merit to Dr. Ivan Bratko for his exceptional contributions to AI development in Slovenia, particularly in machine learning and logic programming. This recognition underscores Slovenia's ongoing dedication to innovation and its significant contributions to the global scientific community.

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Veliko predvsem malih in srednjih podjetij je na zelo nizki stopnji digitalne zrelosti in tudi pri tem zaostajamo za evropskim povprečjem.