On Tuesday, 3 December, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the draft law on the Latvian National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (NMIC), promoted by the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development. The aim of the NMIC is to promote the use of reliable and secure artificial intelligence for the benefit of society in order to increase productivity and competitiveness. It is expected to be operational in 2025. The draft law is still pending before the Parliament.
Minister Inga Bērziņa: "Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to provide a positive, modern and safe living space for the people of Latvia. Therefore, under the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science and in close cooperation with other fields, research and the private sector, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence is being established with the aim to develop competence and solutions for the use of AI for national security and economic growth. The NMIC will be one of the instruments to develop Latvia as a friendly country for the development and implementation of reliable AI applications in Latvia. At the same time, the application of AI will facilitate the access of Latvian citizens to services and contribute to the economic development of the country."
"AI in public administration is a key factor for efficiency and consolidation of available resources. It is through the NMIC that we will be able to implement the approach that the use of AI in public administration will improve work efficiency, resource management and centralisation by bringing in experts and knowledge from different fields. This will lead to a targeted use of technology in day-to-day work," says Joren Liopa, Director of the National Digital Development Agency (NDDA).
The Centre is being set up as a foundation for cooperation between universities, companies and public administrations. The NMIC is planned to be structured around a board, a director and a secretariat, which will be provided by the NDAA. The members of the Council will receive no remuneration.
The Centre will focus on promoting the practical application of AI and building national capacity to manage and prevent risks related to AI. The NMIC will manage the risks posed by AI to the integrity of democracy, privacy and human rights. Priority will be given to the implementation of AI for efficiency and quality of services in public administration, health, education, internal security, as well as to supporting AI opportunities among SMEs for their productivity, growth and innovation and to ensure the presence of the Latvian language in large language models.
On a practical level, the NMIC will develop research and pilot initiatives in priority areas, provide solutions and support to institutions in implementing AI, and organise cooperation initiatives with international partners. It will also monitor and implement preventive activities for the use of reliable and safe AI.