Serbia to Develop a Large AI Language Model for the Serbian Language

The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Marko Čadež, and the Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, Mihailo Jovanović, signed a Cooperation Agreement at the Ložionica venue in Belgrade, aimed at the more efficient implementation of the “Serbia Digitalizes” digital transformation knowledge-sharing program, as well as the development of a national LLM — a large language model for the Serbian language.

Jovanović stated that the Agreement comes at a time when, according to the World Bank index measuring the maturity of public administration development, Serbia ranks 2nd in Europe and 6th globally, while according to the Oxford AI Readiness Index, it is among the top 20 percent of countries worldwide most prepared for the application of artificial intelligence. In this context, he emphasized that the Agreement represents an important step toward the international promotion of domestic eGovernment solutions, as well as toward the further development and wider application of artificial intelligence.

“For the first time, the Republic of Serbia is taking a systematic and strategic approach to the development and training of a large AI language model for the Serbian language, opening space for the application of artificial intelligence in education, healthcare, the judiciary, culture, public administration, and the economy. By developing a large AI language model for the Serbian language, we are preserving our digital and AI sovereignty, ensuring that data remains within the country. This model will enable the Serbian language, script, and identity to be equally represented in the global digital space, with full control over data, standards, and ethical principles.

Thanks to the existing supercomputer at the State Data Center in Kragujevac and the planned installation of two additional supercomputers during 2026, Serbia is building and enhancing its own AI infrastructure, while the development of the Serbian language model has great cultural and identity significance. We expect many other institutions to join this project very soon, primarily the National Library, the University Library, RTS, RTV, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Development, and many others,” Jovanović said, adding that this is an investment to ensure that the Serbian language, all its dialects and pronunciations, remain alive in the future — because what book printing was in the 19th century, AI is in the 21st century.

Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, emphasized that the development of a national AI language model will bring enormous benefits to the economy, such as reduced solution development costs, increased productivity, automation of customer support and sales, and faster, data-driven business decision-making.

“Every company, regardless of its level of digitalization, will be able to transform more easily, faster, and more simply, with significantly lower entry barriers for the application of artificial intelligence. This applies to all sectors — from energy and agriculture, where AI enables smart resource management, through finance with advanced digital assistants and customer communication in the Serbian language, to healthcare through the analysis of medical documentation, faster diagnostics, and secure storage of citizens’ health data. In education, children and students will have access to AI tools in the Serbian language with security filters, while in the legal system, a domestic language model will improve the work of lawyers, courts, and notaries through precise and standardized language use. Small and medium-sized enterprises will experience the greatest transformation through automated sales, marketing assistants, and digital business support, enabling them to be more competitive in both domestic and international markets. The creation of our own language model and the introduction of the 5G network are two key turning points positioning Serbia as an exporter of innovation, a strong digital ecosystem, and a regional innovation hub, with clear benefits for the economy, citizens, and society as a whole,” Čadež said.

He added that the plan is for the Chamber to support the export of IT solutions and innovative tools developed by the Office for IT and eGovernment. Negotiations are underway with Tashkent regarding the adoption of the eBaby program, given that one million babies are born annually in Uzbekistan.

By signing this Agreement, the Office for IT and eGovernment and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia confirm their commitment to joint action aimed at further advancing digital transformation, strengthening economic competitiveness, and positioning Serbia as a regional leader in digital public services and artificial intelligence.