A two-day summit opened in Belgrade on Tuesday to explore the responsible development and application of artificial intelligence (AI), a major event in Serbia as the country seeks to integrate AI into its modernization and innovation agenda.
The Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit has drawn over 1,000 participants, including government officials, industry leaders, and global AI experts.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic underscored the nation’s forward-thinking approach, highlighting that it was the first country in Southeast Europe — and the 26th worldwide — to adopt an AI development strategy in 2019. He emphasized the government’s ongoing work to draft a new AI strategy through 2030, aligning with Serbia’s broader modernization and innovation goals.
“Artificial intelligence must benefit humanity, foster progress, and protect human dignity,” Vucevic said, underscoring Serbia’s commitment to leveraging its human capital, particularly among youth and the IT community.
While acknowledging AI’s transformative potential, Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), emphasized the need for a robust global regulatory framework. Such a framework, he noted, must address critical challenges, including ethical and safety concerns, labor market disruptions, and environmental impacts.
Cormann added that the GPAI aims to promote AI development with a human-centered focus. He pointed out that discussions at the summit would contribute to the refinement of national AI strategies, a growing trend globally, with 50 such strategies already in place.
The summit includes 30 sessions and features over 100 expert speakers from more than 45 countries, including representatives from 25 GPAI member states and other OECD nations. Discussions will cover a wide range of topics, such as ethical standards, privacy, and the socio-economic impacts of AI.
Founded in 2020 under the auspices of the OECD, the GPAI promotes the responsible development of AI by balancing technological innovation with ethical responsibility to tackle global challenges while fostering innovation. Serbia is set to take over the GPAI chairmanship next year, succeeding India.