The head of the Culture Committee of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Mihail Neamtu, said on Wednesday that artificial intelligence has no future without a solid energy infrastructure, stressing that energy is currently the biggest challenge for both Romania and Europe.
Mihail Neamtu hosted the event "Ambitious Romania: Strategic Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence", organised by the Chamber of Deputies' Culture Committee and the Mihai Eminescu Conservative Institute.
The MP said that AI-based technologies could provide Romania with a competitive advantage.
"In the Romanian Parliament, we organised a fundamental debate within the Culture Committee, which is open to all major discussions academic, political and social. As part of these meetings, we included a debate on the future of artificial intelligence in Romania and the West. Why? Because the fundamental question about our humanity which must be distinguished from the machines we create should not be forgotten: what does it mean to be human? It means not being a machine. Of course, we make use of technology, and it can have remarkable applications. (...) We can have farmers, we can have dentists who are able to sell their products and services more effectively abroad, which would create a competitive advantage for Romania. As you know, we are not particularly strong in promotion; we do not necessarily have people skilled in selling, and this is also reflected in the balance of payments deficit," Neamtu explained.
He warned that there is no future for AI without a proper energy infrastructure.
"Does Romania have a strategy different from that of the European Union? And if it did, would it rely on its own energy independent of these fluctuations? As you can see, there is no future for AI without an energy infrastructure. The biggest problem facing Romania and Europe today is energy. There is no point in talking about AI if we do not ensure the construction of a third and fourth nuclear reactor at Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant. There is no point in talking about AI if we do not develop projects such as Iron Gates III and expand clean hydropower capacity. (...) We organised a fundamental debate on the future of artificial intelligence and reached a conclusion. On the one hand, we must preserve our humanity we must not forget that something unique, irrepeatable and irreducible defines our relationship with God, our access to beauty, goodness and truth. This understanding belongs to humans, not machines. On the other hand, we accepted that, within clearly defined legal and moral limits, artificial intelligence can have practical applications. This is the message we convey: everything in moderation," Neamtu said.
For his part, Samuel Zarnescu, programme director at the Mihai Eminescu Conservative Institute, highlighted the role of AI in supporting small entrepreneurs, particularly in marketing.
"First of all, we started from the idea that AI is, in a way, a scarecrow for many for entrepreneurs and for the general public. And to some extent it is, because we do not yet fully understand its limits or what lies ahead. But in the current situation, especially amid the crisis we are going through whether we acknowledge it or not many Romanian small businesses are shutting down. We are seeing more than 100,000 companies close since the beginning of the year, mainly because they lack the sales needed to survive on the market. In this context, AI can help support small entrepreneurs, particularly in marketing. If we look today at how many small Romanian companies receive offers from abroad from Germany, the UK and elsewhere the answer is almost none. Why? Do we have weaker products than Western countries? Not necessarily. We have grain, we have very good wine, we have excellent dentists, but we are not present on international markets. (...) What AI has done in marketing is to revolutionise it, giving small companies the opportunity to gain better visibility and sell their products," Zarnescu explained.
He added that small and medium-sized enterprises are the most affected by the economic crisis and need concrete solutions, with AI potentially being one of them.
Among those attending the event at the Palace of Parliament were representatives of diplomatic missions from the EU and the United Kingdom, public officials, politicians, members of the academic and cultural community, and technology entrepreneurs.
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