On 4 November, upon the initiative of the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, a discussion on the establishment of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Latvia was held at the Riga Castle. The objective of the discussion was to explore potential operational models for the Centre, including its legal structure, to define the concrete next steps for its launch, and to identify international cooperation projects for the beginning of 2025.
At the meeting, the President of Latvia emphasised the need for a swift progress in the establishment of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence. Therefore, President Rinkēvičs expects the responsible institutions to deliver concrete preliminary work on the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Centre in Latvia by 1 December of this year, so that it can be submitted to the Saeima for consideration as a legislative proposal. In parallel, the ongoing preparatory work should be continued in order to provide local and foreign entrepreneurs with the opportunity to test their solutions in the so-called "regulatory sandbox".
"The rationale behind establishing an AI Centre in Latvia was initially based on security concerns. Technology is evolving rapidly. In the field of artificial intelligence, there is a race between the major powers to gain the upper hand. This development presents both opportunities for economic growth and additional risks. It is, therefore, my belief that Latvia must invest in developing the necessary skills to assess these risks. It is important for us to understand the threats related to the instrumentalization of AI technologies for interference in democratic processes and even direct malicious attacks," said the President.
During the discussion, the President of Latvia drew attention to the fact that on 24 April of this year the National Security Council agreed to support the establishment of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence in cooperation with the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University and Riga Stradiņš University. At that time, the primary objective of the Centre was to create a competence centre for the application of artificial intelligence for the purposes of strengthening national security and advancing the knowledge economy. The Centre's core functions will be twofold: to develop and to protect.
"I believe this discussion presents an opportunity to forge a consensus on the Centre's priority objectives, so that it complements our existing operations and avoid duplication with other initiatives, such as NATO StratCOM and CERT. I see that there are three main questions that require further discussion: what functions and national mandates will the Centre execute, how will the Centre cooperate with universities to develop skills and conduct research, and what will be the nature of the Centre's cooperation with the private sector, including international partners. During my recent working visit to the United States in September, I had the opportunity to speak with several leading technology companies in the country. They showed great interest in collaborating with Latvia. We need to seize this opportunity as soon as possible. Before other EU countries do so. I believe that a different kind of competitive breakthrough is critical for Latvia at this time. The development of artificial intelligence creates the right conditions to seize this opportunity. We will not become a country that creates completely new AI technology, but we can use existing achievements and increase their applicability in various fields, such as security, health, education, etc.," said President Rinkēvičs.
The discussion was attended by the Minister for Smart Administration and Regional Development, the Minister for Economics, the Minister for Defence, the Minister for Education and Science, as well as the Rectors of the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, Riga Stradiņš University, the Director of the State Digital Development Agency, the Chairman of the Board of SJSC "Elektroniskie sakari", representatives from telecommunications companies "Tet", "Latvijas Mobilais Telefons" and Latvia State Radio and Television Centre, the Director of NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, the Head of CERT.LV and the Executive Director of Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence.
