Human-centred AI grounded in fundamental rights, transparency and accountability

“We meet at a moment when technological change is accelerating faster than at any time in human history.”

From the dawn of civilisation until the year 2000, humanity produced only a few hundred exabytes of recorded information.

Today, every single day, we generate almost twice the total of all previous human history”, said PM Plenković in the introduction to his speech.

Yet, he added, the true disruption is not only scale, but the shifting balance between verified knowledge and noise.

It is increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from fiction

With more than six billion smartphones worldwide, anyone can broadcast instantly to a global audience. The boundary between fact, opinion and manipulation is increasingly blurred, he warned.

AI now produces content so convincing that truth and fabrication are harder to distinguish - a breakthrough with immense promise, but serious risks in the wrong hands.

Prime Minister stated that democracy rests not on the rule of the most learned, but on the judgement of the majority. That majority remains free only if it is reasonably well informed; otherwise, freedom of choice risks becoming the freedom of delusion.

Artificial intelligence amplifies both our capability and our responsibility, said Plenković and added that it can transform healthcare, education and public services.  

Digital transformation is a key national priority for Croatia

Europe has chosen a distinctive path: human-centred AI grounded in fundamental rights, transparency and accountability.

Croatia believes that in the twenty-first century, digital infrastructure and data governance are matters of sovereignty and resilience, not merely of technology.

For us, digital transformation is one of our core national priorities, said Plenković.

In that context he stated the following information: Six years ago, fewer than three out of twenty Croatian households had access to 5G; today, nineteen out of twenty do. Fibre broadband reaches 75 per cent of households, 5G coverage exceeds 94 per cent, and nearly 83 per cent of citizens use digital public services.

Infrastructure alone, however, does not define a digital nation. Talent and enterprise do.

Croatian technology companies on the global stage

Croatian technology companies are increasingly visible on the global stage.

Infobip enables secure digital communication at global scale across leading messaging platforms; Rimac pioneers high-performance electric and autonomous mobility systems; Microblink delivers AI-driven computer vision used across financial and enterprise sectors; Gideon develops autonomous robots transforming global logistics; and Infinum designs and engineers complex digital and AI-enabled products for leading international brands.

Together, they demonstrate how engineering excellence and ambition translate into globally competitive innovation.

“But innovation alone is not progress.  Progress requires direction — and responsibility. The decisive question is not whether we can move faster, but whether we can guide this transformation wisely. Therefore, artificial intelligence must be inclusive for all and serve as a useful instrument of free socies”, concluded the PM.

Congratulations to India on the organization of the summit and the exceptional technological progress

In a statement to the media, Prime Minister Plenković said that he congratulated Indian Prime Minister Modi on both the organization of the summit and the exceptional technological progress in all aspects of the use of artificial intelligence.

He also emphasized the importance of the message of this year's, fourth summit on artificial intelligence, which is inclusion, that is, artificial intelligence for the benefit of the entire society, and not just for certain segments.

He added that India is increasingly trying to translate this message into reality through its policies across the economic sector, education, economy, agriculture and others.

Speaking about his intervention in the leaders' panel at the summit, the Prime Minister said how important it is today, given the amount of information we are exposed to, for this information to be accurate, confidential and reliable.

This is important, he added, especially for young people, who spend a lot of time with their mobile phones, but also in democratic processes, such as elections, where citizens should be able to make their decisions based on reliable and verified information.

In Croatia, digital transformation is one of the four strategic priorities, he reminded, and through the National Council for Digital Transformation, greater emphasis is being placed on completing the process of strengthening our infrastructure capabilities, in which huge strides have been made.
On this occasion, he also highlighted the contribution of numerous Croatian technology companies to global progress and Croatia's role in digital transformation.

"We will continue to make every effort to keep our national policy in step with both global trends and trends at the European Union level, especially in the implementation of the Decade of Digital Transformation," he said.

New opportunities for Croatian exporters in the Latin American market

The Prime Minister met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in New Delhi today.

They discussed cooperation between Croatia and Brazil, in the context of concluding a free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries.

The Prime Minister added that this agreement had been negotiated for 25 years, and should open up opportunities for the Croatian economy for a greater presence of our exporters in the Latin American market.

Once again, he emphasized that this agreement has very clear protective mechanisms in the event that certain disruptions occur in certain sectors, as was said to be the case for agriculture.

According to our analyses, he added, this is not the case and should not happen in any way.

They also discussed fourth- and fifth-generation Croatians who live in Brazil and make a significant contribution to the largest country in Latin America.

It is important that we remain firmly committed to multilateralism

Global issues were also discussed, especially the Russian aggression against Ukraine, international relations and multilateralism.

He also met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, with whom he discussed the role of the UN and its peace initiatives related to Ukraine and the Middle East.

"In the context of numerous security threats, it is important that we remain firmly committed to multilateralism at the global level," said Prime Minister Plenković.

We have dispelled Serbia's fears about our cooperation with Tirana and Pristina

When asked by reporters, he confirmed that he had informally spoken with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on the eve of yesterday's dinner at the opening of the summit and added that he had dispelled fears that exist in Serbia about cooperation between the defense ministries of Croatia, Kosovo and Albania.

"I explained that this cooperation is focused on technical cooperation between our departments and that it is not directed in any way against Serbia. So, as far as I saw from his statement, it has now been accepted," said Plenković.