The potential uses of Artificial Intelligence have been widely discussed and explored in recent years. Romania has now decided to utilize a system that can track citizens’ problems, needs, and suggestions in real-time.
During a meeting with executive members, Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, presented ION. He explained that this AI system would act as an honorary advisor by analyzing social media and relaying citizen problems, needs, and suggestions to the government in real time.
Like ChatGPT, ION uses an extensive language model, but unlike the OpenAI chatbot, Romania’s virtual assistant does not engage in dialogue with users at present. The AI system was created by a volunteer team of Romanian engineers, academics, and experts without using any public funds.
The ION was described as a real-time mirror of Romanian reality, representing all Romanians as one. The AI system is currently in the learning phase, and as it accumulates knowledge, it becomes more closely linked to and better connected with the people, according to Sebastian Burduja, Romania’s Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization. The system “listens” to Romanians and can analyze messages, generate reports and summaries.
The Romanian government is developing ION in phases. The AI system can collect user comments in three ways:
- First, through the analysis of social media, such as Twitter, where interested parties must mention the @noisuntemION account.
- Second, through the ion.gov.ro website, where Romanian citizens are invited to fill out a form so that the AI can analyze and transmit the information to the government.
- Finally, experts plan to install a robot in schools or metro stations so that citizens can interact in person.
The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, believes that the use of AI is not an option but an obligation to make better-informed decisions. According to Dan Carbunaru, a government spokesperson, the ION project is now operational and has received a lot of citizen traffic.
The utilization of emerging technologies in the public service is a significant step towards more transparent and efficient governance. The implementation of AI systems like ION provides an excellent opportunity for the government to listen and respond to the needs of the people in real-time.
As ION continues to learn and accumulate knowledge, it will become an even more critical tool for Romania’s government to make data-driven decisions and effectively address citizen concerns. The development of ION is an exciting example of how AI technology can be utilized to enhance communication between governments and their citizens.
