Journal

What's new at prg.ai

prg.ai newsletter #54

You're reading the first newsletter issue following the summer break and it is truly packed with news! The undisputed highlight is the presentation of the results from the largest-ever mapping of the Czech AI ecosystem. On the regulatory front, the Ministry of Industry and Trade submitted a key proposal to implement the European AI Act. We were also active, officially launching the international LLM-BRIDGE project with ten EU countries.

prg.ai

🔥 AI at the heart of the action

Czech AI from Aš to Železná Ruda

The Czech National AI Platform (CNAIP) has presented the results of the largest mapping of the Czech AI ecosystem in history. For the first time, we have a comprehensive overview of who is active in the field of AI in Czechia – from technology suppliers and research groups to investors, startups, and communities. The results are available in two forms: as an interactive map and as a complete data output for those who prefer reading. The information was provided by hundreds of entities across the country. Whether you are looking for partners for cooperation, inspiration for your own projects, or just want to know where AI is blossoming in our country, you should not overlook this unique source of information. Like many of the best things in life, it is also completely free. Just type ceska.ai!

Meetings at the Ministry of Industry and Trade are delivering results

In recent weeks, key coordination meetings have taken place at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, where prg.ai has been invited as a relevant representative of the Czech AI ecosystem. Together with other participants, we discussed more than 200 comments on the implementation of the AI Act and agreed on a clear ambition to avoid so-called “gold-plating” — unnecessary tightening or overextension of European legislation. The result is a bill we write about below in the “Stuff that interests us” section.The discussions also touched on the topic of the AI Gigafactory, a project the Czech Republic is proudly advocating for in Brussels.

The Ministry finishes AI Act implementation proposal

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has presented a draft aimed at bringing the European regulation on artificial intelligence, the so-called AI Act, into the Czech context. The document specifies the obligations of individual providers and operators of AI systems and also defines which authorities will oversee compliance. The draft also introduces a so-called regulatory sandbox — a testing environment where companies can safely experiment with their AI solutions. Lukáš Kačena, Director of prg.ai, told HN.cz that the ministry is making a genuine effort to take a “minimalist approach” that does not impose any additional obligations. “One can only hope that this pro-innovation intent will be preserved in the law despite the debates and pressures that the further legislative process will inevitably bring,” he added.

Czechia (must be) digital

The fourth Týden pro Digitální Česko Week for Digital Czechia), the largest educational event of its kind in Czechia, is over. This year’s edition focused on three key areas: the digital future of work, the digital world for everyone, and the digital technologies of tomorrow. The program was organized by more than 160 partners from government agencies, companies, universities, libraries, and the non-profit sector, including prg.ai. During a discussion with Eva Pavlíková from the Ministry of Regional Development, our director Lukáš Kačena decided to appeal to the future prime minister. If the digitization of the state is not a top priority for them, Czechia will miss the boat.  

Days of AI are knocking on the door

The biggest Czech celebration of artificial intelligence is fast approaching. The official program for eighteen Czech cities (with more to come) is already available on the website. The Liberec Region is approaching this year’s Dny AI from multiple angles — human, professional, and creative. You can look forward to drone swarms, an AI playground, and even an exciting detective game where realities intertwine. The Central Bohemian Region, on the other hand, will focus on small and medium-sized enterprises: “There will be demonstrations of AI tools that you can use to create your own company website or applications and save a lot of money. You will also learn about AI gadgets that will help you predict margins or plan production,” says Michal Ježek from the INNOFORUM community, which is responsible for coordination in Central Bohemia. So don’t forget, see you from November 3 to 16!

🏡 What’s new at prg.ai

Bridge between nations

Together with colleagues from ten EU countries, we have officially launched the LLM-BRIDGE project, an international consortium with one ambitious goal: to support European startups in the LLM sector. Organizations from Czechia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, and other countries have committed to several concrete steps that will help European companies demonstrate that the old continent can be not only a consumer but also a driver of innovation. It will therefore connect them directly with investors, offer educational programs, and provide access to datasets and computing capacity.

Our biggest breakfast yet

Americans say, “The more, the merrier,” and we agree with them. Thanks to new members and partners, our traditional partner breakfast was attended by the largest number of people in history. We welcomed the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics of the University of Economics, the first academic member outside our founders, the Czech Technical University and Charles University.  

Joining the prg.ai family is also the BrainConnect consortium, which is building a unique innovation ecosystem in Prague connecting science, business, and technology, as well as Raynet, known for its online CRM software that helps businesses boost their sales performance. “The activities of prg.ai are an inspiration to us. We want to be part of this community and help improve our skills and support the development of AI in the Czech Republic,” says CEO Martin Bazala. 

AI Festival launches a new tradition

The first annual AI Festival took place in Prague with the participation of Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček. The event, co-organized by the Czech National AI Platform (CNAIP), among others, attracted families with children, students, and company representatives to the ministry building on Na Františku Street, where they had the opportunity to experience how artificial intelligence can enrich everyday life. Prg.ai had a strong presence at the event — not only through its own booth, but also thanks to our partners and members, including Resistant AI, Valeo, DNAi, and the CTU faculties of Electrical Engineering (FEL) and Information Technology (FIT). Regional expertise came from Citymind Solutions s.r.o., Techmates International s.r.o., VR Rescue, and the Pilsen innovation ecosystem PINE. The capital city was represented by the Macaly platform, which also developed the festival’s website. Visitors could, for example, try out a robotic dog or test their knowledge in an AI quiz.

A new generation of AI experts

Certificates were once again handed out at the Mayor’s Residence in Prague. The prg.ai Minor program welcomed another 31 young AI experts. The total number of graduates of this unique inter-university program has now reached 105. Every single one of them has completed a selection of the best courses in the field of AI from four faculties of the Czech Technical University in Prague and Charles University. The head start they have gained thanks to the program can now be used not only in their studies, but also in their current or future careers. Congratulations!

Artificial intelligence in the classroom

In September, the Innovation and Inspiration in Education conference, organized by the Association for Social Responsibility, 42 Prague, and ŠKODA Auto, took place in the capital. The topic of education was discussed from several angles – formal, lifelong, individual, and even environmental. During the discussion, Lukáš Kačena emphasized that artificial intelligence has long been present in classrooms. Anyone who wants to ban students from using it is naive. At the same time, however, he warned against excessive enthusiasm – AI should still be viewed as a partner and not as an omniscient authority. 

Slovak elites are fleeing. How can this be prevented?

Finally, let’s move on to our eastern neighbors. An important question arose at this year’s SAPIE Forum in Bratislava: why are AI/STEM elites leaving Slovakia and how can they be motivated to stay home? As Lukáš Kačena pointed out during the discussion, there is no simple solution—the entire ecosystem must work. This means not only creating links with compatriots abroad, but also incorporating AI into education at all levels, setting clear rules for state support and funding, offering attractive opportunities for top talent, and strengthening cooperation across the CEE region.

Where to Meet Us

AI Hotspot 2025

The premiere of AI Hotspot attracted over 200 professionals from the Czech Republic and abroad. This year’s edition will push the boundaries of connecting technology and business even further – with the latest trends, inspiring case studies, and world-changing technologies. When? This Thursday, October 16.

HPE Technology Tour in Prague
The autumn HPE Technology Tour 2025 will conclude its journey through Czech cities on October 16 in Prague. As always, there will be no shortage of innovation. In response to recent market changes, the native HPE VME solution will be unveiled. A live demo will then show how to use it to effectively consolidate servers, speed up operations, and gain full control over your virtual environment.

Tech Happy Hours
Are you ready to shake up the technology scene in Central Europe? Tech Happy Hours, the leading startup event organized by the Technology Incubation project and Startup Kitchen in cooperation with CzechFounders, is back again this year. On October 22, it will connect hundreds of founders, investors, leaders, university representatives, and enthusiastic young entrepreneurs.

Datamole 10
Come celebrate the birthday of one of the most prominent and versatile Czech AI companies. Our members at Datamole invite the professional community to their 10-year celebration, taking place on October 23, 2025, from 6:00 PM at the FIT CTU premises in Prague. The program will feature a variety of lectures and case studies on data and AI innovations in industry and agriculture.

AI Days
This year’s ninth annual NVIDIA AI Days conference (Nov 4) will take place as part of AI Days and will present the latest from NVIDIA’s offerings for artificial intelligence and the metaverse. Attendees can look forward to technical details on NVIDIA hardware and software, the introduction of the NVIDIA AI Factory concept, current regional references, and interesting AI solutions from Czech companies built on NVIDIA technologies.

INNOFORUM 2025
Discover this year’s latest innovation trends. Find new opportunities for your business. Be inspired by entrepreneurs and innovators who have succeeded globally. The INNOFORUM conference will offer top experts and countless networking opportunities under one roof. Don’t miss it. It opens its doors on November 4 in Prague.

👏 Local AI scene news that makes us proud

Application for patients with multiple sclerosis

Scientists from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague are developing a mobile phone app that uses speech analysis to help predict sudden attacks and the hidden progression of multiple sclerosis. The course of the disease, often associated with deterioration in motor skills and cognition, is very difficult to measure clinically. “The first minor deviations in speech can appear several years before the disease develops. By monitoring calls from smartphones, we want to detect the progression of this disease,” says Jan Rusz from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU.

The digital future won’t wait!

Five days, five discussion meetings, dozens of experts, and one big topic: the future of the Czech Republic with artificial intelligence. This was the event “Digital Week with EDIH CTU – Focus on AI“, organized by the European Digital Innovation Hub at CTU in Prague (EDIH CTU) and the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics at CTU (CIIRC CTU). “AI is not just a new technology, but a tool that is changing the way companies operate, how cities plan services, and how Czech industry is moving forward,” explains Sara Polak, who hosted the conference.

CTU student’s program to make tedious texturing easier

3D modeling is now a common part of many fields, from movies and video games to architecture and product design. One of the key but most challenging steps in creating realistic 3D objects is texturing, the process of “sticking” a surface onto the model—colors, materials, and details that give it a realistic appearance. This is where the AI tool StableGen comes in, created in his bachelor’s thesis by Ondřej Sakala, a student at FIT CTU. The tool makes it easy to generate detailed textures using so-called diffusion models. Thanks to this, the user can, for example, type in that they want a texture of chipped metal or old wood, and StableGen will create it in a matter of moments.

8x gold from Stuttgart for the Vampire prover

The Vampire automatic prover, developed by Martin Suda, head of the automatic reasoning team at CIIRC CTU, achieved extraordinary success this year. At the 30th CADE ATP System Competition 2025, it won all eight categories for the first time in history – a feat that no other system has ever achieved.

AI in the service of the Czech Police

At the end of September, a hands-on workshop was held in Prague, where representatives of security forces were introduced to the AISEE tool developed by ÚTIA AV ČR, FIT VUT, and FEL CUT”. This expert software search engine for videos and photos based on artificial intelligence will help the Czech Police detect and investigate serious organized crime. 

28 students, countless AI solutions

Let’s stay with the students for a moment. The AI Summer School at CTU has produced several interesting applications that respond to the pressing issue of information overload. For example, the HiddenBronze web application helps people discover lesser-known but interesting places outside of crowded tourist destinations. The Quatsch application generates fraudulent emails and misinformation, teaching users to recognize them.

Silver for CIIRC and FEL CTU students

The Alquist Coder team, composed of students from the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, took an excellent second place in the international Amazon Nova AI Challenge competition. Competing against more than ninety elite university teams from around the world, it stood out as one of the best so-called defense teams in the development of secure AI tools for assisted programming.

High School Videohunter Announces Winners

This year’s Videohunter competition, which introduces high school students to the basics of working with artificial intelligence, culminated in an exciting final at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University. The students were tasked with searching for scenes in videos using unique software developed in collaboration between the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics and the University of Konstanz. The victory, which was decided in the final seconds, went to the team from Gymnazium Arabská.

Government Commissioner for AI at FIT CTU

Government Commissioner for AI Jan Kavalírek discussed the future of education and research at FIT CTU. Together with faculty representatives, he discussed visions for the further development of AI in the Czech Republic – from high-quality education and support for cutting-edge research to specific practical applications.

Foundation for Czech gigafactory

České Radiokomunikace has begun construction of the Prague Gateway DC data center on the outskirts of Prague in the Zbraslav–Jíloviště area. It will serve clients from 2027. ČRA hopes that the data center will form the basis for the long-awaited EU AI gigafactory. However, the final decision rests with the European Commission. 

AI in the service of advocacy

The workshop “Regulation, AI, and Advocacy“, held on September 16, 2025, in Prague, focused on innovation in advocacy. Participants learned about the Digital Omnibus initiative, which promises to reduce the administrative burden. The organizers also highlighted the OpenEuroLLM project, which aims to strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty, and the upcoming CCBE methodological guidelines for AI and cloud computing in advocacy.

The idea is enough

JetBrains has unveiled the long-awaited Kineto solution, a no-code platform that transforms ideas into ready-to-use applications and websites. Design and editing are done through a simple chat. Even those with no programming experience can create their own app.

Data for AI agents

Startup Apify has launched an MCP server that allows users to call any of more than 7,000 actors from their marketplace, making data from social networks, search engines, maps, or any website accessible to AI agents. CEO Jan Čurn then spoke in an interview with Cerebral Valley about how there would be no AI revolution without web scraping.

Oh, to know the outcome

The election weekend tested the capabilities of AdAstra’s AI model, which can predict the final result based on just 10% of the votes counted. The accuracy of its calculations was confirmed by the 2023 presidential election, and this year was no different.

What about children? Do they know how to prompt?

The O2 Foundation, through its O2 Smart School project, has announced the first edition of the “AI Challenge: Can You Ask?” competition. Families with children can try out how to use artificial intelligence meaningfully, safely, and creatively. The theme of this year’s competition is prompting—the art of asking questions correctly. Family teams can register here until October 31, and a similar competition for teachers will start on November 10. The competition partners are O2, the O2 Dataclair.ai Artificial Intelligence Center, AI for Children, Google, and STAGES HOTEL Prague.

AI for businesses, emphasis on effectively

NEWTON University has unveiled two new study programs. The MBA AI in Business program helps managers and business leaders acquire the knowledge and skills needed to effectively recognize opportunities and implement AI solutions in practice. It is still possible to apply for the program, which starts on October 18, 2025.

The MSc. Digital Competence program, for which, thanks to state support for digital education, anyone with registered residence in the Czech Republic can receive a subsidy of up to CZK 35,000. The program focuses on the development of digital skills and the effective use of modern technologies in practice. The expected start date is planned for February 2026.

🎭 Events we’re excited about

You can find all the events we find interesting in our Google Calendar.

🧩 Stuff that interests us 

Sweden to give away free access to AI

Sweden has launched the Swedish AI Reform initiative, which aims to make the latest agentic AI available free of charge to 2.3 million people over the next two years – from government employees to students, teachers, researchers, and non-profit organizations. The project, led by the independent Swedish AI-Reform foundation, builds on the legendary “PC reform” of the 1990s and aims to accelerate innovation, strengthen public services, and prepare the younger generation for a world where AI is ubiquitous.

Study reveals the “AI productivity paradox” 

A new study by Faros AI, based on data from more than 10,000 developers from 1,255 teams, reveals a fundamental contradiction: 75% of developers already use AI assistants, write more code, and complete more tasks – but at the company level, productivity and delivery speed are not improving. Faros AI refers to this phenomenon as the “AI productivity paradox” – individuals are faster, but organizations as a whole are not feeling the benefits. According to the authors of the study, this means one thing for companies: they must start looking for ways to eliminate emerging friction and translate individual speed into broad business 

There are other ways to teach

Učitelé z Marsu (Teachers from Mars) is a community of teachers and mentors who work with students to solve real problems, teaching each other to become better educators. Their goal is to encourage curiosity and entrepreneurship in students and adapt education in Czechia by connecting teachers and people with practical experience. The Lyžák jinak project (Skiing Field trip, But Different) has a similar ambition. During one week, students learn life skills such as critical thinking, the right mindset, teamwork, and problem solving, and gain their first experience in creating their own project.

📢 Community Calls

The state is launching a call for AI development

In the fall, the state will announce another call for proposals for subsidies to support AI research and development. It plans to distribute a total of around three-quarters of a billion crowns. The Ministry of Industry and Trade already announced one such call at the beginning of the year, and interest exceeded expectations. The maximum subsidy will be capped at thirty million crowns per project.

Looking for 10 B2B startups ready to go global

The Ment2Grow accelerator is entering its 8th year. Promising Czech startups with global ambitions can now apply for an eight-month program packed with 1:1 mentoring, inspiring workshops, and international trips. Participants will gain not only invaluable know-how but also become part of a community of more than 90 successful founders and alumni. Applications must be submitted no later than October 22.

Bring your workshop to ML Prague 2025

Machine Learning Prague 2026 is closer than you think. And now you can make it even richer in expertise. If you have hands-on experience and a practical ML topic to share, this is your chance to deliver a 3-hour technical session to an advanced audience and get a free conference ticket in return. You can apply here.

💼 Open job positions

Alignment of Complex Systems Research Group (ACS)

Apify

Datamole

ententee

Make

Dataclair O2

JetBrains

Livesport

MSD

Share

Next up from prg.ai

Typical Prague AI firm is young, self-sufficient, and export oriented, shows our new comprehensive study

130 companies, 11 interviews, 9 business topics. Explore all that and more in the unique study authored by prg.ai, which contains an overview of last year's most notable events on the local AI scene or articles on the future of AI or gender equality in research.

prg.ai

prg.ai newsletter #55

The fourth edition of AI Days, the largest Czech festival dedicated to artificial intelligence, is in full swing — this year reaching 36 cities across the country. The European Commission has announced the creation of the Czech AI Factory with a new supercomputer named KarolAIna, CTU has elected AI expert Michal Pěchouček as its next rector, and Europe has unveiled new strategies to boost AI development. Meanwhile, the Czech AI scene keeps thriving — from a billion-crown investment in Resistant AI to new research labs and award-winning scientists.

prg.ai
Dny AI 2025

Dny AI 2025: The Largest Artificial Intelligence Festival Kicks Off and Reaches Every Corner of the Czech Republic – The Program Offers Over 250 Events in 35 Cities

The largest Czech artificial intelligence festival, Dny AI, is launching its fourth edition. From November 3 to 16, 2025, more than 250 events will take place across 35 cities throughout the Czech Republic. The festival, which continues to grow every year, aims to inspire and encourage active engagement and collaboration across disciplines, audiences, and regions nationwide.

prg.ai

Interest in top-tier AI education is growing in the Czech Republic. The inter-university program prg.ai Minor now counts over a hundred graduates.

- press release - A prestigious certificate of completion from the inter-university program prg.ai Minor was awarded this year to 31 new graduates, bringing the total number of certificate holders to 105. The graduation ceremony took place on September 25 at the Prague Mayor’s Residence, attended by representatives of the city, universities, and program partners.

prg.ai