prg.ai newsletter #60

🔥 AI in the Spotlight

National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (NCUI) launches at CTU

It will bridge top-tier research with the specific needs of the Czech state and industrial partners. The new platform will focus on nine research areas, including healthcare, transport, and energy. A total of 10 prg.ai members and partners are involved in the project, with our initiative being the sole representative of the non-profit sector. “Supporting projects that connect excellent research with industrial practice is a priority for the Czech Technology Agency. NCUI demonstrates that this model of co-operation has strong potential in the Czech Republic,” adds Prof. Petr Sklenička, Chairman of the Czech Technology Agency.

Public officials now have their own AI guide and “ten commandments”

The Czech administration has published a 45-page guide to the ethical and effective use of AI in public administration. The document summarises practical recommendations that every civil servant in the Czech Republic should know, from verifying outputs to transparent communication and protecting sensitive data. Alongside it, a more concise Ten Commandments offers the core rules in a short and accessible format. prg.ai also contributed to the preparation of both documents.

Join the AI team at ČTÚ (Czech Telecommunication Office)

Thanks to the AI Act, the Czech Telecommunication Office has been entrusted with part of the regulation of artificial intelligence. It is currently assembling a team responsible for AI regulatory oversight in the Czech Republic. In addition to an analyst and an AI methodologist, they are also looking for specialists in national and international co-operation. The new colleagues are expected to take up their roles on 1 July.

The Map of Czech AI surpasses the 500-entry milestone

Five hundred and seven. That is the current number of entries featured on the Map of Czech AI on the CNAIP website. Alongside more than five hundred Czech research groups, companies, and initiatives, you can now also explore over 80 case studies that the Czech Republic can be rightfully proud of — from AI receptionists and archaeological survey tools to autonomous airport defence against drones.

European AI Gigafactories may come in two types

According to information published on LinkedIn by CEE AI Ambassador Jan Kavalírek, two categories of installations are currently being considered: smaller AI Gigafactories for small and medium-sized states, and larger AI Gigafactories for larger ones. This split could better reflect local needs and circumstances. However, everything remains under negotiation at the European Commission level and nothing has been finalised yet. As a reminder, the Czech Republic is currently discussing a possible joint application with Poland, as well as the potential sharing of capacities with Slovakia.

🏡 What’s new at prg.ai

AI in Public Administration 2026: We Are on the Right Track

AI is becoming part of everyday work in Czech public offices, but in many places, we are only at the beginning. That was the gist of contributions at this year’s AI in Public Administration 2026 conference. As event partners, we had the opportunity, alongside the Czech Government Commissioner for AI, Lukáš Kačena, to present an overview of what has changed over the past year and what the state’s plans are for this year. The flagship event, held at Hluboká nad Vltavou Castle, also caught the attention of CNN Prima News.

Welcoming our new partners Schneider Electric and Seyfor, and an invitation to AI Horizons 2026

Schneider Electric is a global leader in energy technologies, focusing on electrification, automation, and the digitalisation of industry, business, and homes. Its portfolio of intelligent devices, AI-driven systems, and digital services is built on the EcoStruxure platform, with AI powering solutions in four end markets: buildings, data centres, infrastructure, and industry. In the TIME100 Companies 2026 ranking, it is recognised among the 10 most influential energy companies in the world and is consistently ranked among the most sustainable companies overall. The company is currently collaborating with Nvidia on blueprints to help hyperscalers efficiently power and cool AI chips in the most advanced data centres.

Seyfor Holding is one of Europe’s largest ICT solution providers, employing more than 1,850 people across 7 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. “We decided to join forces with prg.ai to actively contribute to the development of the Czech AI ecosystem and collaborate with leading organisations across business, academia, and the public sector,” says Lukáš Gross, the company’s AI Business Development Director. The collaboration will continue at AI Horizons 2026, the September conference organised by Seyfor. In addition to DataBrothers, the Czech National AI Platform is also a partner of the event. This two-day international gathering will offer practical workshops covering the entire AI spectrum — from first steps and enterprise architecture to advanced multi-agent systems. The programme features speakers from Microsoft, AISLE, Česká spořitelna, and Penta Hospitals, as well as a specialised track focused on AI adoption in public administration. Use code CNAIP15 for a 15% discount on tickets.

We are looking for a new marketing hire

We are looking for someone to join our newly forming marketing and PR team who enjoys communicating scientific, technical, and business topics in a clear and engaging way. More information here.

LLM-Bridge project enters a hot phase

The international LLM-Bridge consortium, which includes prg.ai, is looking for participants for its 12-week incubation programme. All European startups working with GenAI and LLMs who want to scale their business are welcome to apply. Besides valuable experience, networking, and mentoring, they will also receive a financial boost — the five most successful startups will take home a reward of €25,000. The open call runs until 1 June 2026, and the final list of participants will be announced in June.

AI reality in small businesses: AMSP presents survey results

The Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (AMSP) published the results of a survey mapping where AI is genuinely helping today and what barriers it faces. The survey describes the prevailing phenomenon as a “lack of imagination” — businesses are aware of AI tools but struggle to deploy them effectively. The main culprit is a lack of time caused by demanding day-to-day operations. The results were released at an online conference held as part of the AMSP Year of AI initiative, where we, together with Brno AI, introduced the CNAIP project, the Map of Czech AI, and selected SME case studies. Did you miss it? No problem — the full recording is available on YouTube.

We joined an open letter to the Council of the European Union

The current wording of the Digital Omnibus compromise text brings excessive caution and additional layers of bureaucracy instead of simplification. Such an approach does not support European digital ambitions — on the contrary, it hampers them. For both Czech and European companies, it brings further legal uncertainty and unnecessarily increases compliance costs. You can read the full text of the open letter on the website of the AI Chamber, which led the initiative.

Thank you for another pleasant prg.ai breakfast

Dozens of people who create and nurture the Czech AI ecosystem gathered at Kampus Hybernská for our regular meeting over coffee and good food. As our director Lenka Kučerová wrote on her LinkedIn, it was a great opportunity for our members and partners to reconnect after a while, or to meet for the very first time. Thank you to everyone who made the time, and we look forward to seeing you again in three months.

Save 1,200 CZK on a ticket to WebExpo 2026

Don’t miss out on inspiration from top industry experts from the Czech Republic and abroad. With the discount code PRGAI26, you can now purchase a ticket to the leading technology conference WebExpo 2026 at a 1,200 CZK discount. You can look forward to a strong programme with over 70 expert lectures and workshops, with prg.ai among the event partners. You can choose from tracks for developers, marketers, designers and researchers, or technical leads.

The eighth year of prg.ai Minor reports a record number of applications

This year, 207 students expressed their interest, with 82 of them ultimately joining the “Minor” cohort. For the first time, the cohort includes students from the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. We were also pleased to learn that nearly two-thirds of this year’s participants heard about prg.ai Minor from their friends or classmates. We wish all participants the best of luck!

GLOBSEC Round Table: A unique opportunity awaits the Czech Republic

Věra Jourová and Petr Zahradník emphasised that the European Union is at a crossroads and is preparing a change in its approach to funding. It is planning to launch a major European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) with a budget of €409 billion. And this is precisely where the opportunity for the Czech Republic lies. According to the speakers, it is now necessary to stop waiting for instructions from Brussels and prepare projects in advance to take full advantage of these new opportunities. The discussion, in which the Czech AI ecosystem was represented by Filip Hartmann, then focused on specific strategic opportunities, from research to the defence industry.

👏Local AI Scene Successes

Czechia launches infrastructure for the communication of the future

The country can now boast a complete quantum backbone network connecting Prague, Brno, and Ostrava, through which shared information will flow securely against the risks posed by the rise of quantum computers. The results of the pilot operation were presented by the Czech side on 14 April at the official opening of the Czech Quantum Communication Infrastructure (CZQCI). The event was attended by representatives of the European Union, foreign consortia, public administration, research institutions, and industry.

Rossum becomes part of US giant Coupa

One of prg.ai’s corporate members, founded in 2017 by Tomáš Gogár, Petr Baudiš, and Tomáš Tunys while they were doctoral students at FEE CTU, has been acquired by the US company Coupa. The global leader in autonomous business spend management will integrate Rossum’s intelligent document processing technology and its T-LLM model into its platform. Coupa’s dataset currently includes transactions worth $10 trillion.

Drones and robots in the South Bohemian sky

Temešvár in South Bohemia witnessed an unusual aerial spectacle. In April, researchers from the Multi-robot Systems group at FEE CTU (MRS) tested not only flying robots designed to protect critical infrastructure, but also drones that operate without GPS or remote human communication. “We’ve already managed to run an experiment in which a drone estimates what its neighbour will do and acts faster as a result, allowing dynamic and highly precise formation flight. The improvement in manoeuvrability was up to 60 percent, which is incredible progress,” explains Prof. Martin Saska, head of MRS.

Don’t miss: Prof. Franco Zambonelli at Matfyz

Advances in AI are leading to the unprecedented and rapid development of powerful agent tools and applications. However, the absence of engineering foundations and principles to guide their design may soon undermine their reliability and usability. In his lecture at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Professor Franco Zambonelli from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia will present the concept of the cognitive hourglass, outline its intended architecture, and propose ways to make it a reality. When? Already on Wednesday, 27 May.

Virtual and augmented reality in the hands of bomb disposal experts

How can experts safely train for handling unexploded ordnance? And how can they gain a real-time overview of complex situations in the field? Researchers at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, CTU in Prague are looking for answers. Teams led by Prof. Jiří Žára and Dr. David Sedláček from the Department of Computer Graphics and Interaction are developing two projects that use virtual and augmented reality for training and decision-making in critical situations. More in the article on the faculty website.

FIT CTU student maps cities using Google reviews

The internet today contains a vast number of reviews of restaurants, cafés, and tourist spots. On their own, these reviews offer only a limited view, but their collective analysis can reveal broader characteristics of different parts of a city. That is exactly whatproject by FIT CTU student Adam Čapka explores. “The goal of the research was to design a methodology that can automatically create geographical regions with similar characteristics from a large number of text reviews. The result is a thematic map of the city, showing wider areas with a similar character,” explains the researcher.

Ones and Zeros podcast, this time on cryptography

Why does cryptography need to be not only secure, but also understandable and usable? Where do human errors occur, and how do they affect the security of the systems we use every day? The new episode of the Jedničky a Nuly (Ones & Zeros) podcast looks at the human factor in cryptography, as well as what cryptography actually is and where the average person encounters it. If you have 45 minutes to spare — and understand Czech — give the episode a listen.

High school girls, this workshop is just for you

Do you know a high school girl interested in IT? Then she shouldn’t miss the hands-on workshop at the Image Processing Laboratory (ImproLab) at FIT CTU, where she’ll gain insight into the technologies that allow machines to interpret visual data. The workshop is led by FIT CTU graduate and ImproLab head Ing. Justýna Frommová.

Robotic manipulation summer school launches

CIIRC CTU invites you to the RMFF Summer School on Robotic Manipulation, taking place from June 8 to 10, 2026, in Prague. A three-day series of lectures on trajectory optimisation, optimal control, world models, and vision for robotics awaits you. Entry is free, but places are limited (online participation is open to all). If you want to secure your spot, register as soon as possible.

RICAIP conference is knocking on the door

The RICAIP Project Final Conference 2026, taking place on Tuesday, 2 June, will bring together European experts from research, industry, and the public sphere. The focus will be on the interaction of AI with the physical world, which today represents one of the key scientific and technological challenges. You can look forward to top speakers such as Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster from DFKI and Prof. Duncan McFarlane from the University of Cambridge. And the best part? Participation is free upon prior registration.

FEE CTU student wins Best Paper Award

Constantin Kolomiiets, a second-year student of the Open Informatics bachelor’s programme at FEE CTU, received the Best Paper Award at this year’s Computer Vision Winter Workshop. In his paper, he worked in the field of computer vision, where the algorithm identifies individual people in an image. The result is a method that can accurately “cut out” individual figures from an image. It can be applied in tracking players on a pitch, identifying individuals in a crowd, or analysing human movement.

Defence Research Day showcased technologies for state security

The autonomous robotic vehicle TAROS is suited to situations where human presence is risky — for example, during crises, in the protection of critical infrastructure, or in defence applications. But the event also featured a number of other technologies and research projects responding to current defence, security, and state resilience needs. Visitors could see autonomous robotic systems, drones, AI-driven tools for information space analysis, augmented reality for response units, and technologies for testing and securing communication networks.

Come to a workshop on trustworthy AI

ELLIS Unit Prague, led by Josef Šivic from CIIRC CTU, invites you to a workshop on safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence. It will bring together leading researchers working on the key challenges of trustworthy AI, including privacy protection, security, bias, and model explainability. The programme will offer expert lectures on foundation models, AI safety evaluation, and human-centred machine learning. Participation is free.

FEE CTU joins a global network for secure data processing

The faculty has joined the TACEO Network, which is building a global infrastructure for so-called private computation — secure and verifiable data processing without the need to share data in the open. In this globally distributed network, the faculty acts as one of the independent node operators. The technology is used, for example, to verify identity based on personal documents. Broader deployment, such as in financial services, is expected in the future.

Paralysis doesn’t have to be the end

At the elite Swiss NeuroRestore laboratory, scientists are helping paralysed patients regain control over their own bodies. Martin Picek from Matfyz worked there during his master’s studies and now, as a doctoral student, continues to develop a digital “bridge” — a technology that uses implants and AI to bypass damaged spinal cords. What does such work involve? Read more in the interview on the faculty website.

Find your way in the digital transformation ecosystem

Are you interested in how to introduce AI, automation, and data work in ways that make sense in real-world operations? Come to Tech Dating 2026, an open day for companies that will guide participants through the journey from a digital challenge to a functional solution. The event takes place on Wednesday, 3 June 2026 at CIIRC CTU. You can look forward to a practical guide to innovation support programmes, interactive consultations, and live technology demonstrations. The event is open to all kinds of companies, from manufacturers to technology integrators. Entry is free with prior registration.

HPE invites you to the technology event of the autumn

Mark Wednesday, 30 September prominently in your calendar. HPE will host HPE Innovation Day Prague 2026, one of the largest technology events in the Czech Republic. IT professionals, architects, specialists, and managers will meet at O2 Universum to discuss the direction of modern IT — from artificial intelligence and hybrid cloud to networking, security, and data infrastructure. Pragmatists will especially appreciate the agenda, which focuses on using technology for real business goals.

O2 “employs” AI grandmother Alenka

SSince the start of this year, O2 has already blocked nearly 1 million fraudulent calls. The operator has therefore once again called “AI grandmother” Alenka into battle, who resonated across the internet last year. This now-familiar face in the fight against scammers will front an educational social media campaign showing the most common scams and how to defend against them. She’ll advise followers on how to get their passwords in order and how to resist apparent pressure.

From tables to understanding: why data alone is not enough

It’s not enough to have “AI-ready data” — what matters is giving it genuine business context. That sums up the main idea of an expert meeting organised by PwC, Collibra, and Škoda Auto last month. The discussion showed how a semantic layer in Collibra can connect physical data with its business meaning, helping both people and AI make better decisions. There were also concrete demonstrations of working with logical data models and recommendations on how business stakeholders and data architects can find common ground.

How to handle AI in public institutions?

An expert seminar held at our partner CRA looked for the answer. The Czech Government Commissioner for AI Lukáš Kačena reiterated his vision of building not just a digital state administration in the Czech Republic, but an agent-based one. The key, in his view, is not isolated chatbots at each ministry, but a coordinated approach based on shared data and infrastructure.

Profinit knows how to avoid reaching a deadlock with AI

Are you interested in the real reasons why AI initiatives struggle to move beyond pilot projects? Drawing on their experience, Tomáš Rezek and Dominik Matula from Profinit will outline the foundations of AI projects that are ready for production: a clear strategy, AI-ready data, and agents built on microservices that are easier to scale, combine, and maintain. More will be revealed in Profinit’s upcoming webinar on Wednesday, 20 May. Don’t miss it.

Recombee and The Telegraph in the INMA Award finals

Three months ago, we wrote about the new collaboration between The Telegraph and Recombee, which led to a 35% increase in click-through rates. The project has now made it to the finals of the prestigious International News Media Association awards. The celebrations ultimately broke out overseas, however, as the American daily The Wall Street Journal took home the gold for its ORCA podcast database.

AI That Works comes to Prague for the first time

Curious how AI is actually changing software development? Stop by on Tuesday, 26 May at Matfyz CU, where the AI That Works community is hosting a meetup for everyone interested in practical AI. Three speakers will walk you through how to build an autonomous production AI system, how to move towards autonomous programming, and finally what to do when AI doesn’t work “out of the box”.

Newton on how to measure the value of communication

PR communication has always suffered from one problem: it is difficult to measure and compare objectively. Newton Media therefore invites you to a free webinar focused on different measurement metrics, their principles, and possible applications. They will also introduce the comprehensive PR Index tool, which enables real-time measurement of communication effectiveness. You can join next Wednesday, 20 May.

Workshop: How to handle AI safely and without vendor lock-in

Do you want to use modern AI in your applications, but without sending data to foreign clouds or being tied to a single vendor? In a practical workshop, CRA will show how to run open-source AI models locally and securely. The event takes place on 27 May in Prague, so don’t forget to register in time.

🎭 Events we are looking forward to

• May 14 – (webinar) PhD Days: Scientific Publishing
• May 14 – (conference) Industry 4.0 Open Day Ostrava
• May 19–20 – (conference) AI Week Milano
• May 19 – (meetup) n8n automation in practice: from use cases to functional workflows
• May 19 – (meetup) TuesdAI
• May 20 – (conference) Prague Crawl 2026
• May 20 – (meetup) Community Chatter: practical AI
• May 20 – (conference) AI in Practice 2026 Zlín
• May 20 – (webinar) From AI Vision to AI at Scale: What Leaders Need to Get Right
• May 20 – (meetup) AI Coding Dōjō meetup
• May 20 – (meetup) Agents in Action Prague #3
• May 21 – (conference) DAY ONE
• May 21 – (conference) Data-Based: Cool data. Cool space.
• May 21 – (webinar) How to save hours of public administration with AI
• May 21–22 – (award ceremony) Young Innovator Award 2026
• May 26 – (meetup) Meetup #8: AI in product and software development
• May 27 – (workshop) AI Confidential by CRA (Prague)
• May 27–29 – (conference) WebExpo Conference
• May 28–29 – (conference) DATA POINT Prague
• June 2 – (conference) RICAIP Project Final Conference 2026
• June 2 – (hackathon) Prague Builder Day Hackathon
• June 3 – (open day) Tech Dating 2026 at CIIRC CTU
• June 4 – (conference) Agentic AI 2026: Next-Generation AI Agent Engineering
• June 5–6 – (conference) Greenhack 2026
• June 6–7 – (conference) Robotics Day 2026
• June 9 – (conference) Google Cloud Summit Czech Republic 2026
• June 10–11 – (camp) Tech Execs (Re)boot camp
• June 15–19 – (workshop) Artificial Intelligence Summer School 2026
• June 16 – (conference) AI and JUSTICE 2026 – ONE YEAR LATER
• June 16 – (open day) Open Day at 42 Prague
• June 24 – (meetup) INNOFORUM: HOW TO USE AI IN BUSINESS AND INNOVATION?
• July 20–23 – (workshop) Programming and Artificial Intelligence Summer School 2026

🧩 Interesting News and Resources

Control mechanisms are falling behind, warns the AI Index from Stanford HAI

The highly anticipated annual AI Index report is out, and it contains several surprising findings. While the gap between China and the US has narrowed almost to zero, the gap between AI capabilities and the mechanisms to control them is widening. One thing remains constant, however: the vast majority of leading AI chips continue to be manufactured by a single company, Taiwan’s TSMC.

Explore the AI Tool Risk Catalogue

Brno University of Technology (BUT) has compiled a catalogue of 175 AI models and tools, assessing them against the AI Act, GDPR, cybersecurity, data residency, and their suitability for work, study, and research use at the university. Only 7 of them received a clear green light. Which ones? Find out on the university website.

AI Preparedness Study: Europe must act

The Centre for Future Generations think tank made waves last year with its study presenting five scenarios for the future development of AI. Now it adds 20 specific recommendations for European and local leaders that should be adopted regardless of where AI ends up in five or ten years. Alongside matching salaries for AI experts in the public sector, the recommendations include tax reform and the establishment of R&D agencies.

Austen, Čapek, and now AI

Microsoft and the National Library of the Czech Republic are launching a long-term collaboration in the field of AI. It kicked off with a training session for librarians in March and will continue this year with the first series of online AI seminars. In September, Microsoft experts are expected to take part in Libraries of Today 2026, the largest conference in the field, held in Jihlava. A survey on the specific educational needs of librarians is currently underway, and its results will shape further activities — not only for librarians, but also for parents, children, and seniors.

💼 Open Job Positions

FIT CTU

• Assistant Professor / Associate Professor at the Department of Software Engineering

Barclays

• AI Data Engineer
• Quant AI/ML model developer

Blindspot

• AI Solutions Consultant

Dataclair O2

• AI Engineer for AI Centre
• Senior AI Engineer

DataSentics

• Data & AI Platform Consultant
• AI Engineer
• AI Consultant
• Machine Learning Engineer

ententee

• Full-stack developer (Python/Java/.NET + React)

GEN

• Senior AI Engineer

HPE

• Inside Solutions Architect / Specialist – Network for AI 

Livesport

• ML/NLP/AI Specialist

Make

• AI Product Manager

MSD

• Senior AI Developer
• AI Developer
• Senior AI Research Scientist
• AI Engineer

Profinit

• AI Engineer

prg.ai

• Content & Communications Specialist

Qminers

• ML Researcher
• Deep Learning Researcher / Engineer

Resistant AI

• Junior ML Research Engineer 

Rossum

• Senior AI Research Engineer
• AI Platform Engineer

T-Mobile

• Data & MLOps Engineer
• Data Scientist