Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Monday that Serbia could begin producing humanoid robots this year, following talks with representatives of Chinese companies Minth Group and AGIBOT Innovation.
Vučić met the company officials after attending a presentation of a humanoid robot developed by the Chinese firms at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Belgrade.
“This robot will resemble a human, but it requires extensive training and dedicated factories,” Vučić said. “This would involve investments of around 100 million euros by Chinese partners and Serbia.”
He said a government working group would be formed immediately to push the project forward.
Vučić also said Serbia could showcase “thousands of armed robots” at its next military parade as part of efforts to strengthen national security, adding that such plans would depend on support from China.
“I must ask President Xi Jinping for help on this and hope that, as a friend of Serbia, he will assist us,” Vučić said.
AGIBOT Innovation specialises in the development of humanoid robots and artificial intelligence, while Minth Group operates two automotive parts factories in Serbia, located in the western towns of Loznica and Šabac.
Serbia cooperates with China on artificial intelligence development as part of Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative.
According to the Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index published by UK-based Oxford Insights in cooperation with Canada’s International Development Research Centre, Serbia ranks 57th out of 193 countries. The United States, Singapore, Britain, Finland, Canada and France lead the index.
The use of artificial intelligence in Serbia is not yet regulated by law. Authorities have adopted ethical guidelines for the development and application of trustworthy and responsible AI, but compliance with those guidelines is currently voluntary.