President Milanović at Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka: We need to be careful with artificial intelligence
“Rijeka is a city that is open to the sea, to the world, open to the new and unknown at the same time, but which knows what its tradition is. Rijeka is a city that has great prospects in the world we live in, and that is a world of engineering and knowledge, a world of innovation, artificial intelligence, with which one should be very careful,” the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović said today at a formal session of the Faculty Council of the University of Rijeka Faculty of Engineering, held on the occasion of its 63rd anniversary.
In his address at the formal session, President Milanović warned that when it comes to artificial intelligence “one should be very careful, so that it does not take over human dominance over things and events, or cause war.” “We are all saying that, and that is what we should fear. Artificial intelligence calls for a serious conversation and a serious attitude,” he said.
Regarding technicians and engineers, President Milanović said that today they develop, improve and exchange complex knowledge with others, unlike 250 years ago, when uneducated, but skilled and resourceful people, knew how to come up with a steam engine or the first steam locomotive. “After the end of the 19th century, this has become a serious and demanding science for which fewer and fewer people in our Western civilization are ready. Fewer and fewer boys are getting ready to embark on that journey because it is a difficult journey. When, at some point, society reaches a certain stage of development, complacency and self-satisfaction, when you no longer look for role models around you, but believe that you should be a role model for others – that is one of the ills of Western civilization and that is dangerous,” said President Milanović.
“At that moment one should stop and ask oneself: Is this the right path, that we are more philosophers rather than engineers? Not everyone can be a philosopher or psychologist and they shouldn’t be,” said President Milanović, who concluded by saying that Croatia needs more quality engineers because “Croatian schools for engineers are good and of high quality.”
Also speaking at the formal session, apart from President Milanović, were the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Lado Kranjčević, Ph. D., Vice-Rector of the University of Rijeka for Digitalization and Development Professor Senka Maćešić, Ph. D., Mayor of Rijeka Marko Filipović and Deputy Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Vojko Braut.
The Faculty was established in 1960, previously named Strojarski fakultet (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering). It was given its current name in 1970. The Faculty offers undergraduate and graduate university study programmes in mechanical engineering, naval architecture, electrical engineering and computer engineering, as well as undergraduate vocational study programmes in mechanical engineering, naval architecture and electrical engineering. It also offers a three-year doctoral study in the area of engineering sciences, in the fields of mechanical engineering, naval architecture, electrical engineering, computer science, fundamental engineering sciences and interdisciplinary engineering sciences.
President Milanović was accompanied by the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education Jadranka Žarković, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for the Economy Velibor Mačkić and the Commissioner of the President of the Republic for Sports Željko Jovanović.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan