SAPIE Forum 2025 in Bratislava: Untapped Potential and AI Chamber Networking Highlights

At this year’s SAPIE Forum, the Chamber was represented by the team and its members. The event offered a valuable space for professional exchange, and we took part in a number of insightful meetings with stakeholders and companies from various sectors. It was a chance to explore relevant business topics, identify potential areas for cooperation, and gain a better understanding of current market dynamics.

As part of the program CEO, Tomasz Snażyk joined an outstanding panel of policymakers, innovators, and technology leaders from across Central and Eastern Europe to discuss one of the region’s most important questions:
Can CEE become the next global frontrunner in artificial intelligence?

Key Insights from the Discussion

• Collaboration is everything.
  The only way forward for the region is to work together. Acting alone, CEE countries risk falling behind in the global AI race.
• Infrastructure matters.
  From energy to digital connectivity, the region needs smart, coordinated investments to fuel sustainable AI growth.
• Smarter policy tools.
  Governments must create conditions that foster innovation — from tax incentives for SMEs and R&D funding to clear political decisions on where to establish AI hubs.
• Cross-sector engagement.
  Academia, municipalities, investors, and entrepreneurs need to be part of one conversation. Open dialogue and practical cooperation are the keys to long-term success.
• Mindset shift.
  Competing in AI today is like running a marathon with a heavy backpack — to catch up, CEE must rethink how to accelerate innovation and remove systemic barriers.
  

The Core Message

Central and Eastern Europe has the talent, ambition, and potential to lead in AI.
But to unlock it, the region needs collaboration as its backbone — not just between countries, but across sectors, industries, and communities.

We extend our gratitude to fellow panelists Radoslav Stefanek, Jan Kavalirek, Patrik Tovarys, Julia Schvarcova, and to moderator Egle Markeviciute for leading such an insightful and forward-thinking discussion.
Special thanks also to SAPIE – Slovak Alliance for Innovation Economy for creating a space where innovation meets policy and collaboration translates into real impact.

AI Chamber remains committed to supporting this vision by building cross-border partnerships, supporting evidence-based policymaking, and amplifying the voice of the CEE AI ecosystem at the European level.