Artificial intelligence is arguably one of the most important new technologies of recent decades. Its role in society is neither minor nor a mere technical detail — it concerns us all. That's why it's very welcome that Karen K. Burns has raised the question in the public debate about what Estonia's AI advisory council should look like and what its responsibilities ought to be.

Naturally, the development of AI is not only a technological matter — it's deeply societal and affects all areas of life. A hallmark of a strong (digital) society is that we engage in open, meaningful debate and this applies to the Eesti.ai initiative as well. The Eesti.ai program is not a fixed, long-term plan set in stone. Our aim is to build an initiative that can learn quickly, adapt and course-correct as needed.

The Eesti.ai advisory council will convene in full on April 8 and by then, we plan to broaden its membership. We will add new members based on the expertise and skills we still need. The current core group consists of internationally recognized Estonian tech entrepreneurs, but scientists and experts. including both men and women, will certainly join them as members.

Estonia already has several well-functioning commissions and initiatives that deal with different aspects of AI and we do not intend to duplicate their work.

The Academy of Sciences' AI and brain commission, the University of Tartu's Center for Ethics and its AI ethics network, the AIRE center for AI and robotics, top researchers from the University of Tartu's AI excellence center, the AI Leap initiative, Tehnopol's AI accelerator mentors and many other centers are doing excellent work. For the Eesti.ai program, it is self-evident that this knowledge and these people will not be sidelined. On the contrary — we value their work and expertise highly and wish to collaborate with them.

It's also important to make one fundamental clarification. The Eesti.ai advisory council is not a decision-making body. Its role is not to make binding decisions or shape policy behind closed doors. Rather, it is to provide advice, bring expertise and connections to the table from both Estonia and abroad, offer new perspectives and help inspire the next steps.

As the team lead of Eesti.ai, I have a clear understanding of where the gaps are in cooperation and leadership in Estonia that must be addressed if we want AI to truly benefit our people and businesses, while also taking risks and threats into account. We also intend to involve Estonian researchers, technology experts and thinkers on an ongoing basis. Estonia is in a strong position — Jaan Tallinn is one of the most internationally prominent voices drawing attention to AI risks. He is already aware of the Eesti.ai initiative and if he's willing to get involved, it would naturally be significant for us.

The task ahead is considerable. While hundreds of thousands of people in Estonia have already encountered AI in some form, it has yet to be systematically integrated into the daily operations of most institutions and businesses. One of our clear tasks will be to encourage the adoption of AI in Estonian companies in ways that enhance the value of human work and benefit employees, businesses and the Estonian economy as a whole.

Equally important, in my view, is that the Eesti.ai program directly benefits and supports many everyday people in Estonia — not just companies and institutions. AI will inevitably impact all of our lives and the ability to use it for personal matters, work tasks and self-development is already important. A demanding employee who knows how to interact with AI is a compelling reason for companies to start using new solutions themselves.

Of course, it's clear that when discussing the future of AI, we can't ignore the risks. Privacy, data protection, transparency, accountability, AI's energy consumption, its impact on the labor market and society more broadly — these aren't side issues. They must be addressed systematically.

The development of AI will reshape not just technology, but also business, education, labor and social relationships as a whole. We are now at a turning point much like the one we faced more than 25 years ago.

The Tiger Leap, Look@World and e-government programs didn't emerge under perfect conditions, nor did they escape criticism. Yet the courage to take bold steps, to learn and to adapt laid the foundation for Estonia's position as a strong digital nation — a clear competitive advantage on the global stage. If we sit back and wait, others will shape the rules and solutions and our role will be reduced to that of paying customers.

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