In recent years, Serbia has emerged as a proactive player in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), aligning its national strategies with broader European initiatives to foster economic growth, enhance public services, and drive scientific innovation. The cornerstone of Serbia’s AI regulatory landscape is encapsulated in two pivotal documents: the Strategy for the Development of AI in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2020–2025 and the Ethical
Launched in 2020, this strategy outlines Serbia’s comprehensive approach to harnessing the potential of AI across various sectors. The overarching goals are multifaceted, aiming to integrate AI into education, enhance scientific research, spur economic development, and improve public sector services. By 2025, the strategy envisions a Serbia where AI is not only a driver of economic growth but also a tool for societal improvement and innovation.
Key objectives include developing an education system that meets the demands of a modern, AI-driven economy, fostering scientific research and innovation in AI, and creating a robust AI-based economy. Additionally, the strategy emphasizes the importance of ethical AI deployment, ensuring that AI applications are safe, transparent, and human-centered. This is in line with the principles set out by the OECD, which stress inclusive growth, human-centric values, transparency, accountability, and fostering a digital ecosystem conducive to AI development.
Adopted in 2022, the Ethical Guidelines for AI represent Serbia’s first dedicated effort to establish Ethical Standards for AI development and deployment. These guidelines are crucial in ensuring that AI technologies are developed and used in ways that do not compromise human values or freedoms. The EGAI aims to prevent AI systems from becoming a threat to human well-being or marginalizing human decision-making capabilities.
The EGAI addresses several core OECD AI principles, including human-centered values, fairness, transparency, robustness, security, and accountability. By fostering a digital ecosystem that supports trustworthy AI, the guidelines help create an enabling policy environment for AI development. This approach ensures that AI systems are robust and secure, safeguarding against misuse and promoting ethical practices.
The implementation of these guidelines is particularly significant as it underscores Serbia’s commitment to ethical AI amid global concerns about the societal impacts of AI technologies. With an estimated annual budget of less than 1 million euros, the EGAI initiative focuses on creating a framework that supports sustainable and inclusive AI development.
REFERENCES