AI, Democracy & the Balkans – Navigating Challenges & Opportunities - 16.09.2025

AI, Democracy & the Balkans – Navigating Challenges & Opportunities
16 September 2025 (Online Event)

This regional online event, hosted by the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS), brought together leading voices from across the Western Balkans to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping democratic life, cybersecurity, and societal resilience. In a region marked by political complexity and rapid digital change, speakers offered grounded insights into both the risks and the opportunities that AI introduces.

The programme explored:
How AI is influencing democratic processes and public trust
The spread of disinformation and the cybersecurity threats facing fragile political environments
Ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies
The role of AI in safeguarding critical infrastructure
Practical uses of machine learning for sustainability and governance
How human–AI collaboration can support better policymaking

Speakers
🎙 Bardhyl Jashari – Executive Director, Metamorphosis Foundation (North Macedonia), leading digital rights & open government initiatives across the Western Balkans.
➡️ “AI and Democracy: Risks and Opportunities in a Fragile Context”

🎙 Ledia Canga – Senior Cybersecurity Risk Management Expert, National Cyber Security Authority of Albania, specialist in NIS2-aligned frameworks & critical infrastructure resilience.
➡️ “AI at the Crossroads of Cybersecurity Risk and Governance”

🎙 Prof. Federica Russo – Professor of Philosophy & Ethics of Techno-Science, Utrecht University; Coordinator of the SOLARIS Project, expert on ethics & governance of emerging tech.
➡️ “AI, Ethics and Democratic Resilience”

🎙 Itana Bulatović – Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Schneider Electric & Co-Founder of MAIA (Montenegro), with hands-on AI work in climate, healthcare & finance.

➡️ “AI Beyond the Hype: Harnessing ML for Sustainability and Resilience in the Balkans”

🎙 Prof. Dr. Dubravko Ćulibrk – Director, Institute for AI of Serbia & Professor at University of Novi Sad, researcher in deep learning, vision & data-driven policymaking.

➡️ “Synergistic Human-AI Policymaking”
Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS)

This event highlighted the urgent need to build democratic resilience in the Balkans while responsibly harnessing AI for positive social transformation. It also underscored the importance of regional cooperation, open dialogue, and robust governance frameworks.

More about SOLARIS: https://projects.illc.uva.nl/solaris/

This project is funded by the European Union under Grant agreement No. 101094665. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.