Nicolae Ciuca says the bot called Ion is a world first and that the use of synthetic intelligence is “a must” to make better decisions.
The Romanian minister brought in his “new honorary adviser,” a synthetic intelligence assistant named “Ion,” whom Nicolae Ciuca praised as the first of its kind.
Developed through Romanian researchers, Ion’s main task will be to scan social media to inform the government “in real time about the proposals and the Romanians,” Ciuca said Wednesday.
The liberal minister said the newest member of his entourage, a mirror-shaped design with a beep interface, marked “a foreign first,” describing Ion as “the first government adviser to use synthetic intelligence. “
“Hello, you gave me life and my role now is to constitute you, like a mirror,” Ion’s calm voice said at the launch. “What do I want to know about Romania?”
Ion “will use generation and synthetic intelligence to capture opinions in society” “so that there is public knowledge on social networks,” according to a government document detailing the project.
Romanians will also be able to chat with Ion on the task website.
“I believe that the use of AI deserves not to be an option but a legal responsibility to make more informed decisions,” Ciuca said.
Romania, one of the poorest countries in the EU, is described as Eastern Europe’s “Silicon Valley” with a thriving startup scene.
Ion’s presentation came as Romania and Moldova pledged on Wednesday to maintain economic ties after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Bucharest reiterated its support for Chisinau’s bid for European Union membership.