On January 28, 2025, the Personal Data Protection Agency marked the European Data Protection Day for the 19th time by organizing the conference ” What does artificial intelligence bring us?” , focusing on the benefits and risks associated with the development and use of artificial intelligence.
“The General Data Protection Regulation and the Regulation on Artificial Intelligence are inextricably linked – compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation is a fundamental prerequisite for the development of AI that is ethical, lawful and anthropocentric, respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These regulations do not limit innovation, but rather encourage it, creating a safe and reliable foundation for the development of AI that brings maximum benefits to society while reducing risks,” said the Director of the Personal Data Protection Agency, Zdravko Vukić, who addressed the meeting for the first time in his capacity as Vice-President of the European Data Protection Board. He stressed that the Personal Data Protection Agency, with adequate financial and human resources, is ready to take on the role of a supervisory authority for monitoring the implementation of the Regulation on Artificial Intelligence.
The Prime Minister’s Envoy and Minister of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation, Damir Habijan, stressed that the issue of artificial intelligence is not just a technological issue, but something that affects the entire society in today’s world. He said that the advantages, but also the risks of artificial intelligence are numerous and that good regulation is the basis for the development of artificial intelligence that at the same time respects fundamental rights and is competitive on the global market. “We need open dialogue, interdisciplinary cooperation and education, which the Personal Data Protection Agency is continuously working on, which I commend, as well as the Agency’s quick reactions in cases where the rights of our citizens are violated.”
The negative effects on the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, among others, were also discussed by the envoy of the President of the Croatian Parliament and MP, Maksimilijan Šimrak: “It is indisputable that artificial intelligence has now significantly changed our lives, education, healthcare, and even the way we do business, however, it can also have its negative sides that need to be addressed and a balance established between innovation and the protection of privacy and our personal data.”
All speakers stressed that the development of artificial intelligence that respects the fundamental human rights and freedoms of citizens requires cooperation from all key stakeholders, from European institutions, national governments, the private sector, academia to citizens. “Our common mission must be that artificial intelligence brings maximum benefit to society,” emphasized Andrea Čović Vidović, Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in the Republic of Croatia.
“What Artificial Intelligence Brings Us” was also discussed at the panel of the same name. Moderated by Anamarija Mladinić, Head of the Sector for EU, International Cooperation and Legal Affairs at the Personal Data Protection Agency, the panelists – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Robert Kopal, Prof. Dr. Senior Research Associate, President of the Management Board, Effectus Polytechnic; Dr. Karlo Knežević, AI Team Leader, Sofascore; Stefan Martinić, LL.M. Harvard Law School, Martinić Law Office; Tomislav Vazdar, Board Member and AI and Cybersecurity Expert, CroAI; and Marko Đuričić, Legal Expert and Data Protection Officer, Visage Technologies, emphasized that artificial intelligence systems in many cases involve the processing of huge amounts of personal data and that it is crucial that artificial intelligence must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation at all stages of development, testing and use. It is quite certain that the use of artificial intelligence tools will become as common as the use of internet search engines, but it is of utmost importance that artificial intelligence systems are designed and used in a responsible and transparent manner, based on respect for fundamental rights, the principles of personal data protection, human control and democratic values.
The establishment of a safe testing environment for new AI solutions (sandbox) will also help in this mission. Namely, in accordance with Article 57(1) of the Artificial Intelligence Regulation, Member States shall ensure that their competent authorities establish at least one regulatory sandbox for artificial intelligence at the national level to facilitate the development and testing of innovative AI systems under strict regulatory supervision before placing these systems on the market or in use, and which must be operational by 2 August 2026.
The conference also presented the free web tool “Olivia”, which the Personal Data Protection Agency developed in cooperation with partners within the European ARC II project. Anamarija Mladinić, Head of the Sector for EU, International Cooperation and Legal Affairs at the Personal Data Protection Agency and Vice-President of the Council of Europe’s Convention 108 Committee, presented the participants with the possibilities offered by “Olivia”, which contains a series of learning modules, knowledge tests, but also templates of internal acts with which entrepreneurs can prove their compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.