A… robot was hired as a special advisor by the Romanian government. The new member took his place today Wednesday at the cabinet table in Romania: he has a heavy voice and called ION, is the first AI-powered advisor to decrypt social media.

“I would like to start the meeting with a surprise,” declared Prime Minister Nikolay Chiuka solemnly.

“Government is leading the way globally by launching the first advisor to use artificial intelligence: ION”, he continued, gesturing to a glowing blue screen to his left.

This tool was developed by researchers from several universities in the country, which is often described as the “Silicon Valley” of Eastern Europe.

Its goal: to inform the government “in real time about the proposals and wishes of Romanians”, the prime minister explained, mainly through the analysis of the most popular posts on social media.

Citizens will also be able to chat with this new kind of assistant on a dedicated website.

After the general presentation to his ministers, the screen “came to life”: “Good morning, you gave me life and my role from now on is to represent Romanians, like a mirror. What should I know about Romania?” ION asked, accompanied by sound effects.

“Romania is a nice country inhabited by nice people,” replied Nicolae Ciuca, saying that he is “convinced that the use of artificial intelligence should not be an option but an obligation to make better informed decisions.”

Present in our lives for decades, artificial intelligence is taking center stage after the November launch of chatbot ChatGPT.