The development of the artificial intelligence environment in Latvia cannot be undertaken by merchants or capital societies that have been subjected to international or national sanctions, as well as those that have faced criminal penalties in the past 5 years.
The "direct or indirect influence" of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, as well as their citizens and legal entities, is also excluded.
AI, help us!
The Center for Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now being born amidst the struggles of three ministries – 1) Economics, 2) Finance, and 3) Smart Administration and Regional Development, with the participation of the Central Statistical Bureau and the State Audit Office.
As a result of all these efforts, Latvia is expected to receive a "rapidly developing family of technologies with the potential to transform the economy, society, and environment across all sectors and areas of activity."
As it became clear last week during a meeting of state secretaries – the working body of the Latvian government: "AI drives innovation, its application increases productivity, making it a strategic priority in the socio-economic context of Latvia."
AI will assist the country – "in public administration, the national economy, areas of internal security, defense, education, culture, welfare, sports, health, and other fields." There may be involvement from friendly partners from the European Union, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
Inhuman workload
However, there is an important remark regarding this high-tech project – to implement it, existing bureaucratic structures must be engaged. "The institute, which has competence in the areas of the artificial intelligence system project, provides mandatory guidelines, oversight, and support within the regulatory environment of the system..."
Will local offices be able to handle such an, in every sense, inhuman workload? It is worth recalling how the Central Statistical Bureau has repeatedly been caught with erroneous data in various important areas...
In any case, next year AI will not cost Latvia a cent. By 2027, an allocation of 727,035 euros is planned, and in 2028 – another 410,920 euros. The coordinating body for the introduction of artificial intelligence in the country will be the State Chancellery, which we have heard little about since the COVID era and Krišjānis Kariņš's flights.
And yes, an Ethics Commission will also be created to ensure that computer reasoning does not clash with human reasoning.
