According to a discussion between the state and the technology sector, artificial intelligence is a major opportunity for Slovakia. They agreed on the need for cooperation, openness, and “smart” regulation that protects citizens without stifling innovation. A new national AI strategy is due in 2025, and in parallel the build‑out of computing capacity and support for the use of open‑source models for public services is underway.
Slovakia wants to be a laboratory for innovation
The state secretary reminded that since 2019 Slovakia has been co‑shaping AI principles within the OECD and has a visible voice in the Global Partnership on AI. Interest in cooperation, he said, is coming from major partners such as the USA and India, which shows that even a smaller country can be a good “sandbox.” The key is to listen across government, business, and academia and to avoid excessive “gold‑plating” when implementing rules.
The domestic appetite for innovation was shown by a demand‑driven call for digitalization: against an allocation of 52 million euros, projects totaling roughly 250 million were submitted. The ministry is also preparing two computing institutes in Bratislava and Košice, anchored in the academic environment but open to startups and small businesses. Alongside infrastructure, the development of digital skills will be decisive so that the technologies don’t end up “halfway.”
Open model, faster innovation
A representative of a technology company emphasized the benefits of open‑source large language models for governments: control over data, faster roll‑out of solutions, and productivity growth. He stated that the European Commission is discussing deploying a model built on Lamme, and in France the use of AI to summarize legislative materials is being tested. Estonia is considering training on its own data so that systems better understand national specifics and language.
The idea of building “state” models from scratch runs up against the reality of costs and capacities, from top experts to energy‑intensive computation. The state is therefore opting for partnerships with major players and the academic community, with open‑source allowing room for tailor‑made adaptations. The aim is not to reinvent the wheel, but to build on what works and focus on added value for citizens and businesses.
Regulation without the brakes and steps toward 2026
Both discussants agreed that regulation should protect the citizen, but in Europe its fragmentation and the volume of rules increase the burden, especially for startups. Slovakia is therefore preparing an AI strategy for 2025 that is to bring clear principles, an ai sandbox, and oversight with an emphasis on safe deployment that benefits citizens. In parallel, the methodology for digital investments and the linkage of projects financed from EU funds with eGovernment are to be improved so that they are sustainable and interoperable. The ambition is that by 2026 new “life events” and services will be added that people will actually use — and whose outages they would notice just as they do with large social networks.
