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Forbes: How the EU is leading the way in AI powered social innovation – Estonia again among the frontrunners

As the EU as a whole has made major strides in AI-powered social innovation, within Europe, there are a handful of key players that are impacting the ecosystem the most: Denmark, Slovenia and the country that, according to Forbes, is the world’s one and only e-Nation: Estonia.

The year 2020 will forever continue to invoke memories of COVID-19, Global Digital Cognitive Strategist and Digital Visionary Mark Minevich writes in Forbes. Nevertheless, according to him, 2020 will also be cemented into the history books as the digital inflection point that finally revealed to the world the significance of social innovation and the human-centric approach.

“In 2020, cross-industry AI adoption skyrocketed like never before, as people-oriented solutions became the sole focus and priority of technology entrepreneurs, enterprises and governments,” he writes. “These rapid advancements have undoubtedly spilled over into 2021, establishing it as the Year of AI-powered Social Innovation. Not only that, but forward-looking EU countries––Denmark, Slovenia and Estonia in particular––have taken this slogan seriously. For long, the EU has been known as a global champion of social solutions aimed at improving the lives of citizens. However, the events of 2020 combined with massive public-private efforts and a mutual understanding of the need to innovate with AI for a better future ultimately propelled the EU to the top of the social innovation ladder and digital government.”

Minevich continues to describe Estonia’s frontrunner role in global digital innovation: “Being the world’s one and only Digital Republic and “E-nation”, Estonia has given an entirely different outlook on what a truly human-centric society entails for digital citizens. Under the government’s flagship program e-Estonia, which has leveraged AI and advanced technologies to take the country full digital, programs such as e-Governance, e-Tax, e-Voting, e-Health and e-Residency have completly digitized and reinvented societal life in the nation. Indeed, 99% of government services are available online––a statistic that has yet to be matched by any other nation. Therefore, AI powered social innovation is the rule rather than the exception in Estonia, it is second nature.”

There are numerous examples of success stories that the use of AI delivers in Estonia – both in the public and private sector, starting with smart chatbots employed by state institutions and private companies and ending with AI-based forecasting, machine translation, AI and satellite-based systems to check how state agricultural subsidies are being implemented, etc. There are solutions helping to measure traffic density and ensure traffic safety, save energy, promote business relations, etc. As new technologies transform life, business, and government, Estonia’s combination of skills, experience, and environment makes it the ideal location for globally scalable IT development.

If you are interested in investing in or starting an AI business in Estonia, the best way to get started is to use our free e-Consulting service.

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