Czech Republic - AI Strategy Action Plan (2025)

Overview

The Action Plan of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2030 (NAIS) for 2025 is the annual implementation component of the Czech Republic’s NAIS 2030, adopted and publicised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) and approved by the Government of the Czech Republic as part of the Implementační plán programu Digitální Česko for 2025. The document consolidates concrete project proposals, funding envelopes (approximately CZK 19 billion allocated to NAIS-related project intents in 2025), governance responsibilities and monitoring arrangements that will drive AI-related investments and policy implementation across public administration, research institutions and industry. The Action Plan sits within the Digitální Česko programme and was prepared by MPO in coordination with line ministries and sectoral stakeholders; it operationalises NAIS priorities in seven key areas and emphasises trust, security, and alignment with EU-level AI initiatives. For the official announcement and downloadable strategy documents see the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s publications: MPO press release (2 April 2025) and the NAIS 2030 strategy file (Národní strategie umělé inteligence 2030 (PDF)).

Definitions

The Action Plan uses a practical, implementation-focused vocabulary consistent with NAIS 2030 and Digitální Česko materials. Key definitions include: "AI system" (broadly: software, models or pipelines implementing algorithmic decision-making or inference), "provider" (entity creating, training or supplying an AI model), "deploying authority" (organisation or public body placing an AI system into use), "high-impact/high-risk system" (systems with significant potential to affect health, safety, fundamental rights, public order or critical infrastructure), "project intent" (a fundable project entry in the Digitální Česko catalogue), and "gestor" (the designated coordinating ministry, typically MPO). The plan also codifies terms for documentation practices (technical documentation, model cards, audit trails) and monitoring metrics used across projects and funding instruments.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The governance model is hybrid and multi-level. MPO serves as the central coordinator (gestor) for NAIS implementation and chairs the Working Group for AI under the Digitální ekonomika a společnost (Digital Economy & Society) committee. Sectoral line ministries are assigned as executing authorities for their domain-specific projects (e.g., Ministry of Health for healthcare pilots, Ministry of Education for curricula and upskilling). The Action Plan institutionalises inter-ministerial coordination, stakeholder engagement mechanisms (industry, academia, civil society) and monitoring bodies to track progress against milestones and budgets. It also references the role of national regulators — notably the Data Protection Office — in supervising compliance with privacy and data-protection rules, and it coordinates national activities with EU programmes like Digital Europe and the EU AI regulatory trajectory. For governance details and formal announcements see MPO guidance and public communications: MPO – AI sector page and the 2025 Implementační plán announcement (MPO press release).

Key Focus Areas

The Action Plan drives activity across seven NAIS priority areas. Research, development and innovation: infrastructure upgrades, grant programmes and international collaboration to strengthen AI R&D. Education and expertise: measures to revise curricula, upgrade teacher capabilities and expand university/doctoral-level AI programmes. Skills and labour market: retraining/reskilling initiatives for affected workers, support for SME digital adoption. Ethical and legal aspects: development of guidance, codes of practice, procurement rules and legal impact reviews to embed rights-respecting AI; this includes privacy-by-design and human oversight norms. Security aspects: model and data security, incident response, and resilience measures for AI systems. Industry and business: targeted support (incubators, TWIST-like programmes, regulatory sandboxes, export support) to spur AI entrepreneurship and adoption. Public administration: pilots and scalability projects to introduce AI into services while requiring transparency, documentation and auditability. Cross-cutting activities include datasets governance, open data initiatives, conformity tooling and public registries where applicable. These focus areas are aligned with the NAIS strategy and the Digitální Česko catalogue of project intents, with funding and milestones tracked centrally.

Implementation Framework

Implementation is project-based and budgeted; project intents are recorded in the Digitální Česko catalogue and subject to selection, funding and performance mechanisms. MPO coordinates the selection criteria and monitoring indicators and ensures alignment with NAIS objectives and EU-level rules. The framework requires project-level governance plans, mandatory risk assessments for higher-impact deployments, a defined set of deliverables (technical documentation, model cards, privacy impact assessments), and scheduled reporting to the central monitoring unit. Funding is conditional on compliance: projects must demonstrate adoption of safety testing, data governance, and documentation practices to remain eligible for tranche disbursements. The plan also defines responsibilities for procurement, intellectual property, open access where appropriate and pathways to scale successful pilots into production services across the public sector.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring uses a multi-tier KPI and milestone approach. MPO maintains a project dashboard feeding from the Digitální Česko catalogue; executing ministries submit quarterly progress reports, financial statements and compliance attestations. Evaluation covers technical performance, social impact (including labour-market indicators), legal/ethical compliance and security posture. The Action Plan mandates annual public reporting and a yearly revision cycle for the Action Plan to address technological and regulatory change. Independent expert reviews and stakeholder consultations are foreseen to validate outcomes and suggest mid-cycle corrections. Where EU funding is involved, additional EU reporting and audit provisions apply.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

The Action Plan is primarily an implementation and funding framework; it does not itself create new criminal sanctions. Instead, it links compliance and continued access to funding with necessary documentation and safety testing. When legal breaches occur (e.g., GDPR infringements, procurement irregularities, safety or security failures), existing statutory regulators (Data Protection Authority, sectoral supervisory bodies) exercise enforcement powers per applicable Czech and EU law. Implementation remedies specified in the plan include withholding payments, suspension or termination of projects, de-commitment of funds, and referral to relevant enforcement authorities. The plan also foresees internal appeal or rectification processes for administrative decisions related to project funding, and encourages transparent redress paths for affected individuals where AI deployments affect rights.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The 2025 Action Plan operates within the broader Digitální Česko programme and implements measures described in NAIS 2030. It explicitly references and aligns with EU-level initiatives — including the EU AI Act regulatory framework and the Digital Europe Programme — for coherence and funding complementarities. Coordination with national instruments (public procurement law, GDPR implementation, sector-specific regulations in health and finance) is required for deployment. The Action Plan also complements national strategies for research and innovation (NRIS3), cybersecurity strategies and workforce development plans, creating cross-policy synergies for financing, procurement and regulatory compliance.

International Alignment

The Action Plan emphasises alignment with EU regulatory trajectories (notably the EU AI Act), international standards and best practices for trustworthy AI and cross-border research cooperation. It promotes participation in EU funding instruments (Digital Europe, Horizon) and international partnerships to harmonise technical standards, safety testing protocols and conformity assessment practices. The plan also accounts for voluntary EU guidance instruments (e.g., codes of practice for foundation models) and encourages Czech actors to adopt interoperable documentation and auditing practices to facilitate cross-border market access.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References