June the 7th, 2020 – The Croatian Association for Artificial Intelligence (CroAI) recently presented its guidelines for encouraging the development of artificial intelligence in Europe as a review of the European Commission’s White Paper on Artificial Intelligence, which is in public discussion for another week.
In February this year, the European Commission sent a White Paper on Artificial Intelligence out for public discussion so that the interested public could comment on the document indicating what the European legislative framework for this new technology would look like. Throughout the White Paper, the message is that Europe sees the development of AI as an opportunity to become a global leader, but at the same time protect its citizens and their digital rights.
During the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, CroAI decided to offer its voice to the debate and as such, it proposed three guidelines that the CroAl association considers key to the development of a competitive AI industry in Europe:
1. Limited legislation for the earliest stage of AI innovation that would allow small players to develop their ideas in safe conditions but without the need to obtain a large number of permits.
2. Prevent the emigration of innovative start-ups outside of Europe through the development of a competitive EU-wide start-up framework.
3. The role of the state as the first client in encouraging the accelerated development of the AI industry
Under one of these measures are the five mechanisms for strengthening start-up communities which include simplifying the process of starting and closing start-up companies, creating a better investment climate, enabling the better sharing of business success with employees (ESOP plans, etc.), the reduction of administrative barriers and the strengthening of the single digital market of the European Union as the greatest trump cards of European economic integration.
CroAl’s guidelines were presented as part of a panel discussion on “Stimulating the development of artificial intelligence in the Republic of Croatia – legislation, entrepreneurship and past experiences” attended by Ilan Mor, Ambassador of the State of Israel to Croatia, Diana Helen Madunic, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Croatia, Mario Antonic, State Secretary of the Ministry of the Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, and Mislav Malenica, President of the Croatian Association for Artificial Intelligence (CroAI).
On that occasion, the Ambassador of the State of Israel, Ilan Mor, pointed out that Israel is the third in the world, after the USA and China, in the number of start-up companies in the field of artificial intelligence, and added: academies and state institutions. He stated: ”A key ingredient in fostering and growing innovation is synergy between entrepreneurs, academia and government institutions. Without that, there is no progress.”
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, Diana Helen Madunic, emphasised the importance of a strong industrial tradition in Sweden, which is a key accelerator of the demand for innovations in the field of artificial intelligence. “Croatia as a young country can take advantage of its membership of the European Union and place its innovations based on artificial intelligence om the European single market.”
State Secretary Antonic, who also the head of the working group for the development of the national plan on artificial intelligence at the Ministry of Economy, pointed out: “We’re in the process of setting up an Innovation Centre located in Zagreb and it will be partly dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence.”
The president of CroAI, Mislav Malenica, an entrepreneur and the director of Mindsmiths, believes that Croatia has a chance to become a leader in the application of artificial intelligence and could become a recognisable AI force in the world.”
For more on CroAI, follow Made in Croatia.
