Author: Anna Sokołowska-Lawniczak, PhD, Patent and Trademark Attorney, Partner

On 12 January 2021, the Council of Ministers published the ‘Policy for Artificial Intelligence Development in Poland from 2020’, aimed at emphasizing the opportunities that AI offers with respect to economic development and essentially in every area of the economy. The policy also lays down the framework and basic principles for putting to use the potential of AI in Poland.

The document is a supplement to other papers such as the Responsible Development Strategy, the EC Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence, and papers produced by international organizations such as the OECD, and specifies measures and objectives for Poland in the short term (up until 2023), medium term (up until 2027) and long term (2027 onwards).

The policy describes six strategic areas for development of AI in Poland:

• AI and society – measures to make Poland one of the biggest beneficiaries of a data-based economy;
• AI and innovative firms – providing support for Polish AI firms, for instance creating mechanisms to finance their development, and collaboration between start-ups and the government;
• AI and science – providing support for the Polish scientific and research community in designing interdisciplinary AI challenges or solutions;
• AI and education – measures ranging from primary education to higher education;
• AI and international cooperation – measures to provide support for Polish business with respect to AI, and developing technology in the international arena;
• AI and the public sector – providing support for the public sector in implementation of AI contracts, better coordination of measures, and continued development of programs such as GovTech Polska.

From the point of view of AI and intellectual property, the most important area among those listed above is AI and innovative firms, which is measures intended among other things to provide support for firms working on AI solutions. Measures will also be taken in this respect to facilitate investment in tech firms and eliminate the accompanying legal obstacles. As AI solutions become more popular on the market, uniform standpoints can expect to be formulated regarding the intellectual property concerns that this issue raises.

Under the ‘Policy for Artificial Intelligence Development in Poland’, a government taskforce would be set up, attached to the Information Technology Minister, to monitor its implementation in Poland and coordinate the measures.

The document is available here in Polish: https://monitorpolski.gov.pl/M2021000002301.pdf