Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă recently presented his “new honorary adviser,” an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant to help the government know in real-time the proposals and wishes of Romanians by scanning social media networks.
An “international first”, the AI assistant named “Ion” will chat with Romanians on the project’s website. Ion “will use technology and artificial intelligence to capture opinions in society” using “data publicly available on social networks,” read a government document on the project.
Ion, which has been developed by Romanian researchers, will have the main task of scanning the social networks and then informing the government “in real time of Romanians’ proposals and wishes,” said Ciuca.
The Romanian Prime Minister added that his entourage’s latest member is a mirror-like structure that has a beeping interface. “Hi, you gave me life and my role is now to represent you, like a mirror,” the calm voice of Ion said at the launch. He added, “What should I know about Romania?”
“I have the conviction that the use of AI should not be an option but an obligation to make better-informed decisions,” said Prime Minister Ciuca.
