Czech Republic - AI Policy Coordination

Overview

The Committee for Artificial Intelligence (Výbor pro umělou inteligenci) is an inter‑ministerial and multi‑stakeholder coordination forum hosted by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO). Its stated purpose is to coordinate national policy responses to AI challenges, prepare implementation steps for the EU AI Act, and accelerate delivery of the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2030. The committee meets regularly in informal and formal sessions and produces recommendations, proposals for action plans and inputs to government strategic decisions. MPO maintains an online dossier describing the committee’s role and recent meetings; see the MPO AI portal for official meeting announcements and materials. Key public statements and meeting summaries (March–June 2025) document the committee’s practical focus on implementing the AI Act, allocating capacities to supervisory authorities, and supporting research and innovation including AI "gigafactory" concepts.MPO – AI

Definitions

For the committee’s work the following practical definitions are used: "AI" follows the EU/ OECD‑aligned working definitions adopted in recent EU materials; "committee" means the MPO‑hosted coordination body convening state actors, regulators, industry, research and civil society; "high‑risk AI" refers to systems meeting the EU AI Act’s high‑risk criteria; "market surveillance" denotes activities of national supervisory authorities (e.g., ČTÚ, ÚOOÚ, ČNB) in enforcing compliance. The committee itself is an advisory/coordination instrument and not a primary enforcement authority.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The committee operates under the auspices of the Minister of Industry and Trade and is convened by MPO departments (notably the Department for Digital Economy and Smart Specialisation). Its membership includes representatives of central ministries (Justice, Health, Transport, Interior, Finance), supervisory bodies (Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů – ÚOOÚ; Český telekomunikační úřad – ČTÚ; Česká národní banka – ČNB; Úřad pro technickou normalizaci, metrologii a státní zkušebnictví – ÚNMZ), academia, industry bodies and civil society. MPO press materials describe the committee’s role in coordinating the national implementation plan and recommending the assignment of supervisory roles under the AI Act, with MPO acting as national gestor for implementation following government decisions in 2025. The committee feeds into governmental decision‑making through recommendations, draft proposals and coordination notes; it also supports creation of specialized task forces (e.g., sectoral working groups, sandbox governance teams). For MPO announcements and member lists see the MPO AI pages and press releases. MPO – AI and MPO press 28 May 2025

Key Focus Areas

The committee concentrates on the following focal priorities: (1) national implementation of the EU AI Act and identification of national competent authorities for market surveillance and conformity assessment; (2) translating the National AI Strategy 2030 into concrete Action Plans and projects within Digital Czech; (3) designing and promoting regulatory sandboxes, testing infrastructure and "AI gigafactory" concepts to support safe experimentation and scaling; (4) stakeholder engagement, public consultations and capacity building across public administration and the private sector; (5) alignment of sectoral policies for healthcare, finance, transport and public services with AI risk management and safety testing standards; and (6) monitoring international developments and EU governance instruments (AI Board, Scientific Panel). MPO meeting reports from March–June 2025 reflect this multi‑strand agenda and the committee’s role in recommending funding and human resources for national implementation. MPO press 17 Mar 2025 and MPO press 25 Jun 2025.

Implementation Framework

MPO uses the committee to prepare cross‑cutting implementation steps: drafting of national implementing legislation (as needed), assignment of supervisory responsibilities to competent national authorities (e.g., ČTÚ, ÚNMZ, ÚOOÚ, ČNB), development of regulatory sandboxes (in cooperation with the Czech Agency for Standardisation and ÚNMZ) and establishing a national competence centre for eGovernment AI. Implementation tasks include resource planning, inter‑agency memoranda, stakeholder roadmaps and timelines for phased compliance with EU obligations. The committee coordinates inputs to the Government’s Implementational Plan for Digital Czech and the Action Plan to National AI Strategy 2030. MPO press materials outline these implementation responsibilities and expected institutional roles. MPO 28 May 2025

Monitoring and Evaluation

The committee tracks progress through periodic reporting, performance indicators tied to the National AI Strategy 2030, and by requesting regular reports from sectoral working groups and competent authorities. Monitoring outputs include minutes and press summaries published by MPO, recommendations to government on resource allocations, and reporting lines into relevant ministry steering committees. The committee supports periodic evaluations of the national action plan and contributes inputs for government decisions on corrective measures and prioritisation of investments for research and testing infrastructure.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

The committee itself does not impose penalties; enforcement and sanctioning are exercised by designated national competent authorities in accordance with national implementing measures and the EU AI Act’s penalty framework. The EU AI Act sets high‑level administrative fine regimes for breaches of prohibited practices and other obligations (as defined in EU texts). Member States will implement national penalty rules and determine procedures for administrative decisions, liability channels and appeal mechanisms; the committee advises on the design of these institutional arrangements but does not act as a sanctioning body. For general EU penalty guidance see official EU legislative texts and summaries. EU AI Act / EU official sources and MPO implementation announcements describe national allocation of supervisory tasks to ČTÚ, ÚOOÚ, ČNB and others.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The committee’s remit intersects with: the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2019 / updated 2030; the Government’s Implementational Plan for Digital Czech; EU instruments including the AI Act and related EU guidance; sectoral laws (healthcare, financial regulation, transport); and data protection (GDPR) and cybersecurity regulatory regimes. The committee coordinates stakeholder positions to ensure national measures align with EU obligations and domestic sectoral needs and avoids duplication of enforcement roles across agencies.

International Alignment

The committee prioritises alignment with EU governance (AI Board, European Commission guidance) and international standardisation efforts to ensure interoperability and to reduce friction for Czech businesses exporting AI solutions. MPO uses committee meetings to harmonise Czech positions on EU instruments and to monitor developments in other Member States’ implementation approaches, regulatory sandboxes and best practices. Official MPO commentary explicitly positions Czech implementation to be in step with EU rules and to preserve competitiveness for national firms. MPO – AI

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References