As part of the official visit of the Republic of Serbia's economic mission to Tokyo, a meeting was held at Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The Serbian delegation was led by the Minister of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, Dr. Jelena Begović, while the Japanese side was led by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, Takeaki Matsumoto, who is responsible for the development of artificial intelligence in Japan.
This meeting was an opportunity for representatives of NITRA, as part of the economic mission to Tokyo, to present what Serbia offers in new technologies and innovations, which can help deepen the cooperation between the two countries.
“It is extremely important to talk about Serbia, about the great strength of Serbia - the startup ecosystem, innovations, and science”, said Dr. Begović after the meeting, adding that these areas are truly worthy of promotion. Minister Dr. Begović emphasized that during this meeting, Serbia and Japan exchanged experiences related to the legal framework for the development and application of artificial intelligence, as well as ethical guidelines in these areas.
“Artificial intelligence, as a powerful technology, should be directed towards the benefit of people, to be inclusive, to include everyone. It is also important not to hinder the development of artificial intelligence, but at the same time to have control over the development of this powerful technology. Of course, for this, we need international cooperation and international connections”, she said. Dr. Begović reminded that Serbia will take on a significant role in 2025 as the chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, placing Serbia in a high and responsible position. “Together with colleagues from 29 countries, we will try to create an international framework that all countries will later apply to develop responsible and applicable artificial intelligence”, she said, adding that the potential AI has for the economy was also discussed.
“A large number of companies in Serbia either use artificial intelligence in their operations or develop products or services based on it. We agreed that this is a great potential for economic development, but also for societal development. In the end, the creativity that Serbia has, and should be proud of, is something that is very interesting to Japan, and we believe it will be a strong bridge between our two countries for economic, scientific, and innovation cooperation”, concluded Dr. Begović.
Also present at the meeting were the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Japan, Aleksandra Kovač, State Secretary Vukašin Grozdić, Assistant Minister Vladimir Radovanović, Special Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Minister Darinka Leković, Advisor to the President of the National Assembly of Serbia Stefan Badža, and Director of the Center for Digital Economy of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Predrag Nikolić.
