We are thrilled to announce that the Montenegrin AI Association (MAIA) has become the first NGO to join the ICT Cortex network as an honorary member! This is a great recognition of our efforts to promote and develop Artificial Intelligence in Montenegro and beyond. We look forward to collaborating with ICT Cortex and its partners on various projects and initiatives that will benefit our society and economy.

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MAIA has become the honorary member of ICT Cortex

Artificial Intelligence

U današnjem svijetu, vještačka inteligencija (VI) brzo osvaja sve veći prostor u medicinskom sektoru, transformišući način na koji se dijagnostifikuju bolesti, donose terapijske odluke i prate pacijenti. Ova revolucija donosi brojne prednosti, ali isto tako postavlja i niz etičkih pitanja koja zahtijevaju pažljivu analizu i regulaciju. U ovom članku su predstavljene neke primjene VI u medicini, etički izazovi koje ona donosi ali i buduće perspektive i predikcije. 
 
Primjene vještačke inteligencije u medicini su brojne. Možda jedna od najznačajnih je medicinska dijagnostika i praćenje toka bolesti pacijenta. Doktori danas mogu brže i preciznije dijagnostifikovati bolesti uz pomoć VI na temelju analize medicinskih slika, genetskih podataka, istorije bolesti pacijenta i mnogih drugih parametara. Ono što je velika prednost modela vještačke inteligencije u odnosu na ostale metode je njihova mogućnost obrade ogromne količine podataka: u poređenju sa čovjekom, model VI je za mnogo kraći period izložen velikoj količini informacija (npr. CT, MRI, ultrazvuk i rendgen snimci) na osnovu kojih se mogu donositi informisane odluke. Na primjer, algoritmi bazirani na dubokom učenju mogu otkriti rijetke oblike raka na rendgenskim snimcima, ili predvidjeti moguće komplikacije prilikom pripisivanja terapija. Slični pristupi doktorima mogu i značajno olakšati davanje dijagnoze i određivanje stadijuma bolesti kao što su melanom (vrlo agresivna i sve prisutnija vrsta raka kože), rak dojke, rak debelog crijeva, i još mnoge povezane bolesti. 
 
Vještačka inteligencija u personalizovanom ili adaptivnom liječenju ima sve značajniju i ohrabrujuću ulogu. Pomoću VI, doktori mogu prilagoditi terapiju svakom pacijentu na temelju njihovih genetskih predispozicija, prehrambenih navika i drugih faktora. Ovo može dovesti do smanjenja rizika od nuspojava i povećavanja djelotvornosti liječenja. Osim toga, može se automatizovati praćenje i analiza medicinskih evidencija, čime se smanjuje rizik od grešaka i optimizuje kvalitet zdravstvene zaštite. 
Jedna vrlo osjetljiva, ali više i ne baš nazamisliva, primjena VI u medicini je robotika, posebno u hirurgiji. Roboti osnaženi vještačkom inteligencijom mogu asistirati hirurzima u kompleksnim operacijama, smanjujući rizik od ljudskih grešaka i ubrzavajući proces oporavka pacijenata. Takođe, značajna oblast primjene VI nalazi se i u otkrivanju novih ljekova, analizi ispravnosti i kvaliteta medicinskih uređaja, efikasnijem otkrivanju novih virusa i bakterija, kao i u ranoj detekciji širenja infekcija u zajednicama i dijagnostifikovanju kompleksnih bolesti kao što su demencija, razni oblici tumora i raka, dijabetes.
 
Jasno je da će primjene VI u budućnosti biti sve šire i prisutnije, ali se ne mogu zanemariti ni potencijalne opasnosti koje može izazvati ubrzani razvoj ove oblasti. Već duži niz godina, sa akcentom na poslednjih desetak, sve veći jaz između evolucije čovjeka i tehnologije, naročito vještačke inteligencije, donosi veliki broj novih izazova. Prije svega ovdje govorimo o etičkim pitanjima, kao i privatnosti i sigurnosti ličnih podataka. Prikupljanje i analiza velikih količina medicinskih podataka dovodi do pitanja koja se tiču (dozvoljene) upotrebe tih informacija i potencijalnog narušavnja privatnosti pacijenata.
 
Kako osigurati da se podaci ne zloupotrebljavaju i ne dolaze u pogrešne ruke? Rastom značaja podataka koji se čuvaju raste i opasnost od zloupotreba. Postavlja se pitanje, ko je odgovoran kada VI donese pogrešnu dijagnozu ili odluku o liječenju? Postavljanje jasnih linija odgovornosti predstavlja ključan problem koji nije moguće riješiti bez uvođenja regulativa i pravnih normi. Pravednost u pristupu je još jedan ozbiljan izazov. Hoće li primjena VI u medicini rezultirati nejednakostima u pristupu zdravstvenoj zaštiti? Kako osigurati da svi imaju jednak pristup ovim naprednim tehnologijama? 
 
Tehnologija VI stalno napreduje, što će omogućiti još precizniju dijagnostiku i personalizovanu terapiju. U budućnosti se očekuje smanjenje troškova zdravstvene zaštite, prije svega zbog mogućnosti ranog otkrivanja bolesti i smanjenje potrebe za skupim procedurama. Takođe, povećanje dostupnosti zdravstvene zaštite, kroz telemedicinu i VI mogu pružiti zdravstvenu zaštitu u ruralnim i udaljenim područjima gdje je pristup zdravstvenim radnicima ograničen. VI može takođe pomoći u praćenju i suzbijanju pandemija, kao i bržem identifikovanju novih bolesti i njihovog širenja.
 
Primjena vještačke inteligencije u medicini otvara mnoge mogućnosti, ali i postavlja brojna etička pitanja koja zahtijevaju pažljivu analizu i regulaciju. Budućnost medicinske zaštite sa vještačkom inteligencijom izgleda svijetla, ali uspjeh zavisi od odgovornog korišćenja ove tehnologije kako bi se osigurao jednak benefit za sve pacijente.
 
 
 Blog je dio projekta koji je finansiran/ko-finansiran od strane Fonda za inovacije Crne Gore u okviru programa za
podsticanje razvoja inovacione kulture i organizaciju edukacija u oblastima pametne specijalizacije
Crne Gore.

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Primjene, etički izazovi i  buduće perspektive vještačke inteligencije u medicini

The era of artificial intelligence (AI) has arrived and is one of the indispensable topics in our daily activities, with views ranging from apocalyptic predictions to saving the world. We witnessed similar predictions when electricity, microchips, and the Internet were invented.

AI won’t destroy the world, and it could in fact save it. AI, like any other computer algorithm, aims to solve a specific task using human-programmed rules and processes. So, Man is the creator and owner of this technology and it is Man who can control it.

Human intelligence has been creating the world we live in today for millennia. With AI we have a chance to upgrade human intelligence, which would significantly accelerate innovative inventions in many fields, increase the probability of inventing drugs for today’s incurable diseases or find ways to mitigate climate change.

AI is creating a revolution worldwide, and Montenegro and the countries of the region will inevitably be, or already are, part of that wave. The development, application and use of AI solutions in Montenegro, although at a low level in the previous period, are now kickstarted. In the academic community, departments for AI have now been established to deal with advanced research in the fields of agriculture, traffic, ecology, economy. For example, through my research I am working on the development of methods for detecting and measuring the speed of vehicles based only on sound signals, which will affect better monitoring and greater safety of road users. The automation of the process of reading and understanding legal and financial documents has found its application in the banking sector, where AI systems successfully replace the manual processing of a large amount of documents, and at the same time achieve greater accuracy. Prevention of environmental disasters, caused by frequent fires during the summer season, are being worked on with an AI system for automatic, early detection of fires based on video recordings. Doctors in polyclinics use AI assistants that allow them to examine their patients faster and better. AI systems create educational content for children and thereby participate in their proper education from an early age.

All the above examples are the first steps in the research and practical application of artificial intelligence in Montenegro. However, if we want to give full momentum to the development of AI and ensure that these examples do not remain isolated, it is necessary to create a systemic strategy for AI at the state level. One of the pillars of this strategy should be education, with a primary focus on computer science and AI programming.

The best preparation for a world powered by artificial intelligence is education. When it comes to AI literacy, we are still at the very beginnings where a limited group of engineers, working in academia and the industry, manage AI knowledge for the rest of humanity. Society will be much richer if we actively involve and introduce our children to the world of AI, so that they can be the first generation to face the potential of it. If we do not impart the necessary knowledge to Montenegrin students at school, so that they can face the future demands of the workforce, they will find themselves in a serious and unfavorable position compared to countries that have taken AI technology more seriously in their curriculum.

This is exactly the reason for the initiative of the MAIA community (Montenegro association for AI) whose main goal is the promotion and development of artificial intelligence through research, education and cooperation. With our knowledge and experience, acquired both in the country and abroad, we can contribute to Montenegrin society by joining the wave of innovations, raising awareness and interest in AI.

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From apocalyptic predictions to saving the world

Updates

Hi dear reader and AI enthusiast! 

Firstly, thank you for reading this blog. We from MAIA are excited to share our vision and plans with you. If you want to learn more about us, please read <a href="https://aisociety.me/blog/updates/our-story"> our introductory blog post</a>. 

 

In this blog we want to talk about how you can contribute to our community and build the AI ecosystem in Montenegro. 

 

African Proverb says - “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We want to make a good base for the AI community in Montenegro, which will help all of us to go far and achieve many goals.
Our community already gathers open mind, successful people, who are happy to meet you, hear your story, and support you. 

 

Why is community important? What is the power of community? Our community can motivate and inspire students and young people at the beginning of their careers. Furthermore, it will support professionals by allowing direct contact with experts in different AI fields.

 

Would you like to contribute? Great! 

 

In the beginning, be active in our Slack group, and do not be shy. Share your thoughts, join discussions and open new ones. Feel free to share your ideas with our core team - we would love to hear your suggestions. If you want to support an existing project, that is awesome too! Just drop us a message, and tell us that we can count on you. We appreciate all forms of volunteering. Even just by spreading the word about this newly formed community, you are helping us all a lot!

 

In the end, we asked <a href="https://chat.openai.com/"> Open AI ChatGPT </a> how we can contribute to communities, and this was the answer:

 

There are many ways to contribute to your community and make a positive impact. Some ideas include:

 

Volunteer your time: You can volunteer at a local non-profit organization, school, or community center. This can be a great way to give back to your community and make a difference. 

Participate in community events: Attend local events, such as festivals, parades, and fundraisers, to show your support for your community and get involved. 

Advocate for change: You can use your voice and your influence to advocate for issues that are important to you and your community. This could be through writing letters to elected officials, signing petitions, or participating in protests or other forms of activism. 

Share your skills: Consider offering your skills and expertise to help others in your community. This could be through teaching a class or workshop, mentoring someone, or providing pro-bono services to those in need.

 

If you would like to do the same and feel passionate about AI - feel free to reach out to any of us (check out Team page) or drop us a message on Instagram/Linked-In. 

Let's connect! 
Cheers!

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Support AI community in Montenegro!

Philosophy

### Dangerous habits
Dear reader, through this text I will try to look at very serious problems that are increasingly present on social networks. I assume you use them a lot? How often do you ask yourself if the time You spend for them could be used better? I often have these questions in my head. Do you have the thought that you will delete all social networks, and then you forget about it as if you never remembered it. What's behind it, have you ever wondered? You think, some interesting news will appear, I won't see it. Maybe one of my friends contacts me, and I don't answer him even after half an hour. He will be angry. Really? Or does something inside cause you to think that way?
 
Have you seen the movie Social Dilemma? If you haven't, take a look because it will help you make some of the decisions I'm about to write about. If so, are you perhaps the main character from the movie? What do you think, do you have the strength and will to deal with the invisible behind the screen? Do you ever ask yourself why you scroll through posts on Instagram? Half an hour, an hour, two hours, three hours? How did you feel when you realized how much time you irretrievably wasted in not so meaningful scrolling? Do you see the senselessness and danger in that? Is it really irrelevant to you that you spent two hours scrolling through who was skiing, swimming, at dinner? It is very important whether Marko Marković visited Madagascar, isn't it? And then another hour before bed. I believe that you are not very interested in that, but you are scrolling again. Do you watch those very 'instructive', short, Reels videos or TikTok? Why not play a short educational video instead? It's too long, it's not interesting, I don't have time for that, you say to yourself. If you regularly use social networks, you spend at least three hours out of sixteen hours, when you are physically awake, scrolling through posts. You do that almost every day. Then you spend about twenty hours a week, more than eighty hours a month, and watch out now, almost a thousand hours a year! Do we see the damage we are doing to ourselves? Should we ignore all that, and pretend to be blind to this data? Now let's try to calculate how many books can be read in a thousand hours a year. If someone reads twenty pages an hour, isn't that twenty thousand pages a year? Uh, when I'm writing this, I'm also surprised at the number we've reached. Well, that's even one hundred books of two hundred pages each! Remember your excuse. I don't have time, the day is short to be able to achieve everything I want to achieve. True, it is probably short, especially in this time of high speeds. But by getting rid of some habits, each of us can use our time a little more meaningfully. We have to be a bit pessimistic or perhaps realistic. It is not easy, suddenly, without gradual changes, processes, discipline, to implement such a drastic turn. Are you really going to turn the three hours you spend on social media into three hours of useful and meaningful activities for your life? Probably not at full capacity. Try to be more honest with yourself. Be more aware of what you invest your time in!
 
I have tried, like many, with different approaches and successes. I think the key mistake is to take drastic steps, such as suddenly stopping using all social networks. Isn't it the same with diet? You start suddenly, you achieve a result. After a certain period of time, you become even fatter than ever. Why? Lose motivation, will, attention wanders. It should be a gradual process, right? I was never particularly addicted to social networks, but when I noticed that sometimes I spend up to 3 hours on the phone screen, it woke me up, made me aware. So far, I've managed to halve the time I spend on social media and use it for more meaningful activities. Reading, research, deep thinking, Spanish course, solitude.
Let's go back one step, to analyze the screen of our phone that we look at every day. We should not have any great fear of that screen, but we should be alert, that is, aware of its dangers. Although we should also be aware of the benefits. Not everything should be viewed so terribly and negatively. However, I focused more on the negative in order to wake you up a bit, and myself in the moments when I write this. Isn't the screen an example of an iceberg? It is very impressively described in the movie Social Dilemma that I mentioned earlier. I must point it out because of its importance to you. Aren't some of the most talented researchers, businessmen hiding behind that screen (iceberg)? Their goal is to keep you glued to the screen for as long as possible. For some scientists, it is a personal challenge, because they prove to themselves that they can control human behavior. I believe they feel some kind of power or supremacy. The businessman keeps you close to the screen as long as possible because the more you are connected to the screen, the more he benefits financially from you. Every ad you look at is a profit for him. Be aware that you are not fighting against the screen yourself, but against the big noof highly successful scientists, programmers, and businessmen. You alone against them all? Can you beat them? Isn't it a very difficult and challenging fight? One against a hundred, or maybe one against a thousand.
 
I will not go deep into how the artificial intelligence, which monitors your activities, is capable of controlling and manipulating you. He often knows you better than you know yourself. It is not so difficult today because we think that we know ourselves better and better, and isn't it the opposite? Doesn't all technology distract us from that, make it harder for us to know ourselves? Then it is not that difficult for her to overcome you. This is not a criticism of technology, this is a criticism of me and you who use it so that it controls us, not us. As long as we manage it, we will have the numerous benefits it provides us. Be aware of it, let it always be in your mind. Why don't you pick up your phone now and see how much time you spend on social media? Are you surprised? I was, and quite a bit.
 

<h3>The second part - a dangerous word </h3>
I have to send you another message that I want you to feel, analyze and be aware of. Do you use the Facebook application and how much do you read comments on this platform? Maybe you don't use it because it's not trendy anymore (that makes me happy). Do you read or perhaps post comments on portals? Do you notice anything striking? Do some comments provoke you to state your position, to enter into a discussion? Do you think that the various posts you follow on social networks are changing your nature? Do we notice an incredible number of offensive comments that appear there, and what is quite worrying is that many of these comments remain permanently visible. Someone might say that it is freedom of speech, that everyone has the right to express their opinion without taking any responsibility for it. What happens when such comments start moving into reality? Is real and virtual confused? Is what I put out there completely separate from what I implement in the real world? Why does someone who is not allowed to say something publicly say it virtually and so skillfully? Why is someone not the same person in reality and virtual? Shouldn't the virtual be integrated into the real? Lots of tough questions. With these messages, I draw your attention to the incredibly present hatred and negative emotions that are very widespread in comments on portals, and Facebook stands out in particular here. My opinion is that there is an incredible level of negativity spreading through the Facebook platform that is very poorly controlled.
A study (source) conducted in America describes a drastic increase in the polarization of attitudes between Republican and Democrat voters. This split is becoming more and more obvious with the current emergence and development of social networks. The correlation does not seem to be coincidental but quite clear. The growth of the number of users on social networks and the development of these platforms has led to the growth of polarization in the society in the USA. If we were to conduct a similar research in our region, I assume that the conclusions would be similar. Today, it is possible to say almost anything, to offend on any basis, and in the end nothing. But doesn't that have consequences? Doesn't it transform some weaker persons? I feel very irritated when I see what is available to the users of this platform when I open the comments. In this section, I do not want to talk about the reactions that are left to comments and news and about fake news. We will soon find out how serious these problems are, and how weak the protection is, and we are already learning a little bit today.
 
So what should we do? What is the solution, is there one at all? I don't know that, but I try to be aware of it. Maybe we have already lost without noticing it yet. Maybe I'm too subjective, pessimistic. Maybe you don't agree with what I wrote.
 
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
As digital anthropology is a fairly young field, I think that the series "Black Mirror", the film "Social Dilemma" together with the book "Digital anthropology" and many other similar contents contribute to a better understanding of the nature of man in relation to the machine. It is clear how challenging this is, and that understanding these connections will drastically affect changing human nature, culture, and everything that accompanies these concepts. As philosophy is more and more important to us today, so is anthropology, which should help us to a large extent in overcoming contemporary difficulties. Can we see how important anthropology, philosophy and ethics are in merging the virtual and the real world? Informatics, especially artificial intelligence, calls out for anthropology, philosophy, ethics. If you are a computer scientist, do we try to develop tools to create benefits for people? Or is it (almost) all for the sake of generating as much profit as possible? Our modern society has never lacked philosophy. There is not enough of it. Who is guilty? Maybe we computer scientists are guilty of that too. We go too much into technical details, we do what is asked of us professionally, and the essence is not analyzed. It is not analyzed whether what I am doing will bring benefitsto society, to the individual, the focus has already been redirected to the fulfillment of functional requirements. To fulfill the set goals as quickly and qualitatively as possible. Maybe we should think about how to help young people, students, philosophy, an incentive to create a more humane society.
Technology is a good servant but a bad master. We should be at least a little more aware of that.
 

<h3>Sources:</h3>
Social Dilemma (2020), movie 
Black Mirror, series 
Internet source, https://theconversation.com/political-polarization-is-about-feelings-not-facts-120397

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 (In)visible dangers of social networks

The Montenegrin AI Association (MAIA) is the result of the joint effort of several individuals, from scientists to engineers to students, bound and motivated by a matching dedication, passion, and love for artificial intelligence, science, and education. In this post, we put forward motivation, vision and future endeavours of MAIA.

 
<h2>Our Mission</h2>
 

Artificial intelligence (AI) finds a place in all aspects of our lives. However, the general public has very little understanding of the advantages, but also the potential misuse of this technology in everyday life. AI, one of the sub-fields of computer science, has been studied at many world universities for many years, and has recently been part of the curriculum at Montenegrin universities as well. We are witnessing the accelerated growth of this science, both in terms of the number of innovative scientific works and the number of great practical applications. However, people who are already involved in artificial intelligence, either through academia or industry, are often not familiar with the work of their colleagues. It undoubtedly represents one big barrier to creating a community. So we miss out on all the opportunities that a supportive community offers.
All of this made us wonder, is there anything we can do? The answer is, of course, positive! Therefore, full of enthusiasm and desire to create something useful, we gather the community. Welcome!

 

Through our activities, we wish to bring together people from Montenegro, experts in the field of computer science, primarily artificial intelligence. Our mission is to cultivate acquaintances and collaborations for the joint contribution to the development of one of the fastest growing technologies. Also, in this way, we want to lend a hand to our young people, undergraduate and master's students in Montenegro and abroad. They are the future of our society, that's why we place special emphasis on the educational aspect of artificial intelligence.

 
<h2>Acquaintances lead to progress</h2>
 

Montenegro, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Poland, Germany, Switzerland are just some of the countries where our people work, study, research and innovate in the field of artificial intelligence. However, a large number simply never had the opportunity and pleasure to meet their male and female colleagues. Our hope is that MAIA will allow all of us, who share the same passion, to get to know each other, that it will lead to many fruitful collaborations, fun projects, as well as long-lasting friendships. Collaborations between institutes around the world, as well as between industry organizations, are very common, and MAIA aims to facilitate and encourage such endeavors. Also, we will work together on projects that will have a direct impact on the lives of people throughout Montenegro, projects that will help with everyday obligations, jobs and problems. Artificial intelligence is a technology that is rapidly changing the entire world. We believe that it is time for Montenegro to become part of that change.

 

<h2>Investing in the Future</h2>
 

MAIA firmly believes in the power of knowledge and education and their potential to achieve incredible feats. This is exactly what supports our desire to contribute to the education of young people who are motivated to approach the field of artificial intelligence as well as its diverse applications.
As a first step on this path, we will try to regularly use our blog platform to spread news, opportunities, ideas and projects. It will be of great importance to students and other interested individuals in their further training and progress.
 
Also, within our communication platform, we will organize regular focus reading groups, where modern scientific works, achievements and currently unsolved problems will be discussed, all with the aim of understanding, sharing knowledge and supporting the development of ideas.
 
The next major step will be the organization of a summer research school, which will give undergraduate and master's students the opportunity to be exposed to the modern fields of artificial intelligence through an intensive combination of theoretical and practical lectures and exercises, and which will represent a perfect opportunity for new acquaintances, friendships and intellectual conversations.
Of course, we also plan to organize research events, workshops and conferences where local and visiting foreign lecturers would have the opportunity to meet, share their inspiring projects, exchange ideas and start collaborations.
 

<h2>Next Steps</h2>
Although we are at the very beginning of building the MAIA organization, many things are already very much set in motion. We will use our web platform as the main means of communication with the public, while our Slack platform will serve as a place for internal interaction. We are currently in the process of gathering all interested people, so if you want (or know someone who might want to) to become part of the MAIA organization and follow our further development, the registration form is available here <a href=" https://docs.google.com/forms/u/4/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzU97Vb_0srCzo8pbQLyLuSlvUrIn-mAe4XU3GeQDSGw-1Gg/viewform" target="_blank">.