The Republic of Serbia, as the host of this year’s Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit, welcomed leading global AI experts, representatives of GPAI member states, international organizations, industry leaders, and academia to Belgrade. The event, held on December 3–4, 2024, was co-organized by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the Government of Serbia, the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, the Office for IT and eGovernment, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the support of the President of the Republic of Serbia and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

This year’s summit was dedicated to advancing the responsible development of artificial intelligence and leveraging AI for societal benefit. Among its highlights was the planned signing of the Belgrade Declaration, focused on these objectives. The event brought together more than 500 experts, including over 70 speakers participating in 25 sessions. A notable attendee was Yoshua Bengio, the renowned Canadian computer scientist recognized for his groundbreaking work on artificial neural networks.

Our Centre was honored to contribute to this milestone event, with as well our Director, Jelena Bojović, participating in the panel discussion “DigitAI for All”, organized by UNDP Serbia.

The panel began with a keynote address by Heriberto Tapia, Head of Research at the Human Development Report Office, UNDP. Tapia’s presentation explored the intersection of human development and digital innovation, emphasizing the potential of AI technologies to enhance global equity and address complex societal challenges.

Moderated by Slobodan Marković from UNDP Serbia, the panel featured distinguished speakers: Jelena Bojović, Director of our Centre, Michelle Cameron, Ambassador of Canada, Pierre Cochard, Ambassador of France, Dominic Otway, Deputy Ambassador of the British Embassy in Serbia and, Yakup Beris, UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia.

The discussions focused on practical strategies for leveraging AI and digital technologies to advance sustainable development goals, improve governance, and enhance global cooperation.

The GPAI Summit 2024 served as a critical platform for addressing challenges in AI, including ethics, governance, and equity in deployment. Delegates from GPAI member states, international organizations, and leading institutions worked together to identify actionable solutions for fostering AI that is inclusive, human-centric, and sustainable.

For more insights into the event and our ongoing initiatives in AI and digital transformation, visit HERE.