Czech Republic wants to host EU AI centre

Czech artificial intelligence (AI) projects will focus on the safety of the population, including in relation to traffic, crime and in face of terrorist attacks, and the country will seek the status of one of Europe's four AI excellence centres, Industry Minister Karel Havlicek said today.

The decision on granting the prestigious status is to be made in the first half of 2020, Havlicek (for ANO) told a press conference.

Earlier today, he signed a memorandum of cooperation in the AI field between the state, the academic sphere and industry, on behalf of which Czech Confederation of Industry head Dagmar Kuchtova, Ostrava Technical University Rector Vaclav Snasel and Czech Technical University Rector Vojtech Petracek added their signatures.

Other favourite bidders for hosting an European AI centre are Germany, France and one of the Scandinavian states, probably Finland.

The definitive choice of the four hosts will also depend on how AI has been supported by the given states, Havlicek said.

"By declaring this as a government priority, we have attained the peak in Europe," he said.

He said the centre is to start working next year and operate in full as of 2021. It is not to be a new building or headquarters, but a set of competent research and industrial centres, he said, adding that this is one of the EU's biggest planned projects in the field of science and research.

AI projects will receive an annual several billion crowns from national sources. As of 2021, there will be several billion euros worth of European money at the disposal within the Horizon project, a sum the Czech Republic could attain as a country hosting a centre of excellence.

At present, the Industry and Trade Ministry is preparing the relevant documents it is to send to Brussels by the end of November. Furthermore, the Czech government has started negotiations with the EC representatives.

"We are waiting for the new European Commission lineup and mainly the bew commissioners and their respective teams, which will be of a crucial influence," Havlicek said.

Prague's project involves not only leading Czech research and industrial organisations but also 29 academic institutions from all over the world, with which the Czechs cooperate, Havlicek said.

He said his team will start an European "roadshow" next week to present Czechia as a leader in AI and security.

Source: CTK