With the help of ChatGPT

Hungarian Artificial Intelligence Strategy:
Introductory Analysis

I. Introduction –
Artificial Intelligence as a Historic Challenge and Opportunity

Artificial intelligence is not merely a technological innovation. By the mid-2020s, AI is already impacting every industry, social system, and political decision-making process. It is transforming the economy, education, the functioning of the state, the world of work, and even the concepts of national security and sovereignty.

In 2020, Hungary adopted its first Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Since then, significant changes have occurred globally and within Europe: in 2024, the European Union passed the AI Act; technological competition between China and the United States has intensified; and the United Nations has reaffirmed the “AI for Good” initiative.

The aim of this strategy is for Hungary, in 2025, not to be a passive follower but a proactive shaper of the AI era. This requires a leadership manual that provides not only visions but also step-by-step actionable guidance.

II. Geopolitical Framework –
AI as a Question of Sovereignty

The world is aligning around three technological poles. The United States remains the global business and military leader in AI development. China is building its technological influence under centralized strategic direction, while Europe has become the standard-bearer of regulatory models and value-based digitalization.

Hungary is balancing among these poles while seeking its own digital sovereignty. AI must be viewed as the energy resource of the 21st century: those who control it will shape the future.

Thus, one of the key pillars of this strategy is that Hungary must not become merely a user of foreign AI services. We must become developers, value-driven actors, and capable regulators.

III. Regulation and Ethics –
Hungarian Laws and European Frameworks

In spring 2024, the European Union adopted the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI law. The regulation introduces four risk levels: unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal-risk AI.

Hungary must not only technically transpose this by 2025–2026, but also integrate it into its operational framework. This strategy recommends establishing a dedicated National AI Authority to oversee the implementation of the AI Act, monitor the deployment of high-risk systems, and audit algorithmic operations.

Our legal system is partly prepared for this, especially in terms of the Information Act, the Labor Code, and administrative procedural law. However, there is a need for a comprehensive AI Code to guide responsible AI use in public administration, healthcare, education, and the economy.

This strategy is also based on the “AI for Good” philosophy, which holds that AI should not only be more efficient but also fairer and more sustainable. Each development and implementation must prioritize the protection of human dignity, ethical data use, and social equity.

IV. Strategic Time Horizon –
Step-by-Step: 2025, 2030, 2035, 2050

By 2025, Hungary must complete the implementation regulations of the AI Act, launch initial AI pilot programs in public services (e.g., Tax Authority, Government Windows, Educational Office), and initiate a nationwide public awareness campaign to present the possibilities and limitations of AI.

By 2030, AI should be widely present in decision-support systems across the public sector. AI competencies must be introduced at all levels of the education system. In the corporate sector, at least 50 Hungarian AI products should be internationally competitive. The National AI Ethics Council should operate actively and publish regular reports.

By 2035, Hungary should become a leading AI hub in Central Europe. Data-driven public service structures should be operational. Digital citizenship and AI-based citizen interactions should be available to all.

By 2050, it will not be enough for AI to merely assist humans—human and artificial intelligence must jointly shape public policy, economic processes, and education. This strategy envisions a future where Hungary is able to regulate, shape, and integrate AI according to its national interests and values.

V. Sectoral AI Models:
Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, Finance, Energy

Education – AI as an Educational Partner

AI opens new opportunities at every level of education: student profiling, personalized learning materials, automated evaluation, and optimized learning paths. From 2025 onward, AI competencies must be introduced in all Hungarian secondary schools—not only at an IT level but also in ethical, social, and economic contexts.

AI does not replace the teacher but supports them—as a “digital mentor.” The goal is to train educators capable of working with AI-based platforms and making data-driven educational decisions.

Healthcare – A New Era of Prevention and Diagnostics

The use of AI in healthcare is no longer theoretical—it is practiced worldwide. AI-based radiology and pathology projects have also started in Hungary, though they are not yet integrated into the system.

Goals by 2030:

• AI-based diagnostics (e.g., image processing),

• Personalized medication (data-driven therapies),

• Predictive models to manage health risks.
  

A key step toward 2035 is the creation of a digital twin system for healthcare—where AI simulations assist public health decisions.

Agriculture – Data-Driven Production and Precision Farming

AI can make agricultural production more efficient, predictable, and sustainable by combining sensor data, drone imagery, weather models, and machine learning. By 2030, at least 30% of Hungarian agriculture should be supported by precision AI tools.

Required steps:

• Launching agri-AI startup programs,

• Creating a digital agricultural data platform,

• Expanding rural AI education.
  

Finance – Intelligent Decision Support, FinTech, and InsurTech

AI-driven credit scoring, risk analysis, and customer profiling are already in use in the banking sector. AI enhances anti-money laundering efforts, detects insurance fraud, and enables automated customer service.

By 2030, at least 10 domestic FinTech and InsurTech companies must launch AI-based products. This requires modernizing financial regulations, with special focus on explainability of algorithmic decisions.

Energy and Environment – Green AI

Optimizing energy efficiency, integrating renewables, and modeling climate change are not possible without large-scale AI systems. Hungary must create a Green AI platform that coordinates:

• Energy provider data,

• Residential consumption models,

• Environmental monitoring systems.

Goal: a carbon-free, AI-optimized energy system by 2050.

VI. Public Services and the Digital State –
AI in Service of the State

A significant portion of the Hungarian state’s operations can be automated or AI-supported. By 2030, AI-based decision support or automation should be introduced in at least 10 key areas of public administration, such as:

• Tax returns,

• Pension and benefit applications,

• Educational career tracking,

• Environmental permitting.

The aim is not to replace civil servants but to increase speed, transparency, legal certainty, and citizen trust. All algorithmic systems must be auditable and traceable.

VII. Labor Market and Skills –
Human-AI Collaboration

AI creates new jobs but also eliminates existing ones. In Hungary, hundreds of thousands of jobs may undergo transformation in the coming years—especially in administrative, manufacturing, logistics, and low-skilled service sectors.

Thus, one of the strategy’s main goals is that preparing workers for AI is not optional but essential.

The solution involves three levels:

• Basic awareness training for all workers (e.g., "AI Awareness" certificate),

• Higher education and retraining for AI engineers, data analysts, and AI ethicists,

• Corporate partnership programs to co-design AI adoption models.

VIII. National Security, Hybrid Threats, and Digital Sovereignty

AI can be a tool—but also a weapon. It represents a new platform for the weaponization of cyberspace, communication, and physical domains. Deepfake technologies, targeted manipulation campaigns, and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure pose new forms of hybrid warfare.

Hungary needs:

• A National AI Defense Center capable of responding to threats at IT, military, and intelligence levels,

• An AI surveillance framework to detect digital manipulation (e.g., election deepfakes),

• A digital sovereignty program to ensure Hungarian state systems run on domestically controlled AI platforms.

IX. Leadership in AI Governance –
How to Operate a National AI System Effectively

A national AI strategy is not just about goals and rules—it must be executed in an organized, transparent, and accountable manner. Success depends on a multi-level AI governance structure that functions politically, professionally, and civilly.

Key elements:

1. National AI Council
   Strategic decision-making body, including government leaders, researchers, ethicists, and business representatives. Responsible for coordination, oversight, strategic directions, and publishing annual reports.

2. AI Coordination Center
   Operational unit for implementation. Manages data platform development, regulatory planning, and pilot programs. Proposed to be established with the cooperation of Széchenyi István University, NAIH, the Digital Wellbeing Program, and the National Research Office.

3. AI Ethics Advisory Board
   Independent control mechanism. Assesses the ethical implications of new applications, monitors discrimination risks, and proposes socially acceptable norms.

4. Sectoral Implementation Responsibilities
   Each ministry must appoint an AI delegate responsible for applying the strategy within their field (e.g., health, transport, education, defense).

X. KPI System –
How Do We Know We’re Progressing?

An AI strategy is only realized if progress can be measured. Therefore, a national AI KPI system must be introduced, operating with transparent and public data.

Key indicators include:

• Proportion of public administration institutions using AI (target: 75% by 2030),

• Proportion of teachers with AI competencies (50% by 2030, 90% by 2040),

• Integration of AI in digital public services (e.g., automated administration),

• Number and export potential of AI-based startups,

• Response time to deepfake attacks (→ cybersecurity effectiveness),

• Proportion of AI-based medical diagnoses (at least 40% by 2030).

Each ministry will receive its own sectoral KPI package, which must be published annually. The National AI Council will conduct a nationwide strategic audit every 2 years.

XI. Practical Leadership Decisions –
What Should a Leader Do When Implementing AI?

Every public, municipal, or corporate leader who wants to implement AI must consider the following five steps:

1. Define the Goal – What problem is AI meant to solve? Automation, decision support, prediction, or interaction?

2. Assess Data Capabilities – Do we have adequate, structured, and ethically sourced data?

3. Choose a Technological Partner – Domestic or international developer? Can they comply with the AI Act?

4. Conduct Ethical and Legal Review – Is there algorithmic discrimination? Is there human oversight? Is the system auditable?

5. Deployment and Training – How will we prepare the staff? Is there training, acceptance, feedback?

If there are no good answers to these questions, implementation should be postponed—AI is not only a technological but a leadership responsibility.

XII. Final Strategic Vision for 2050 –
A Harmonious Human-AI Society

The goal is not for AI to replace humans. The goal is for AI to complement human decision-making, strengthen social justice, and support sustainable development.

By 2050, Hungary can become a digital society where:

• Every citizen has a personalized AI assistant,

• Government decisions are co-prepared by humans and AI,

• AI operates transparently, under internationally verified norms,

• AI applications become export products in the economy,

• Social mobility, access, and fairness increase—not decrease—due to technology.

Artificial intelligence is not merely a digital tool but a civilizational choice. The question is no longer whether we use it—but how, for what purpose, who controls it, and in whose interest it operates.

This strategy does not answer every question—but it shows the way and gives you the tools to find the answers yourself. As a leader. As a person. As a shaper of Hungary’s future.