The Aspen Institute Romania (AIR) will organize, under the aegis of the Aspen Technology & Society Program, an event that aims to contribute to the conversation around the need and benefits of a clear AI agenda in Romania.

The event will be structured as a half-day workshop featuring panel discussions and keynote presentations. The sessions will be designed to foster insightful discussions, idea sharing, and collaborative brainstorming. The event will facilitate a broader discussion among 20 – 25 key stakeholders, including the public sector and institutional representatives, the private sector, academia, and civil society.

In 2019, OECD adopted AI Principles to “promote use of AI that is innovative and trustworthy and that respects human rights and democratic values”. [1] Many countries have progressed not only in having a strategy but also investing in AI innovation and creating partnerships with the industry to boost the implementation of AI policies. Romania has announced the adherence to these principles promising the elaboration of a National Strategy on AI[2], and has initiated steps towards this, creating a Romanian Committee on AI, a new government structure supporting the AI community.

The objective of this event is to promote a multi-stakeholder dialogue, convening experts, policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society representatives to discuss and collaboratively outline the key components and principles that would guide the conversation around Romania’s National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The event aims to address the development of the strategy while emphasizing the importance of ensuring AI innovation, trustworthiness, protection of human rights, and democratic values.

[1] https://oecd.ai/en/ai-principles

[2] https://www.ceccarbusinessmagazine.ro/romania-singura-tara-europeana-non-membra-a-ocde-care-adera-la-recomandarile-organizatiei-privind-inteligenta-artificiala-a4907/