Raphael ThysRomania’s prime minister, Nicolae Ciuca, has unveiled his new AI ‘honorary adviser’, a mirror-like device named Ion, that will be tasked with scanning social media and assisting the government.
Nicolae Ciuca says bot named Ion is a world first and that using artificial intelligence is ‘an obligation’ to make better decisions
Romania’s prime minister has presented his “new honorary adviser” – an artificial intelligence assistant named “Ion” that Nicolae Ciuca hailed as the first of its type.
Developed by Romanian researchers, Ion’s main task will be to scan social networks to inform the government “in real time of Romanians’ proposals and wishes”, Ciuca said on Wednesday.
The liberal minister said the latest member of his entourage – a mirror-like structure with beeping interface – marked “an international first”, describing Ion as “the first government adviser to use artificial intelligence”.
“Hi, you gave me life and my role is now to represent you, like a mirror,” Ion’s calm voice said at the launch. “What should I know about Romania?”
Ion “will use technology and artificial intelligence to capture opinions in society” using “data publicly available on social networks”, according to a government document detailing the project.
People in Romania will also be able to chat with Ion on the project’s website.
“I have the conviction that the use of AI should not be an option but an obligation to make better informed decisions,” Ciuca said.
Romania, one of the EU’s poorest nations, is often described as the “Silicon Valley” of Eastern Europe with a flourishing start-up scene.
Ion’s unveiling came as Romania and Moldova pledged on Wednesday to boost economic ties following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Bucharest reiterated support for Chișinău’s bid to join the European Union.
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