The Romanian Rural Investment Agency Utilizes AI For The European Union Fund Application Process

Romanian AFIR Director George Chirita (photo: x @ZiarulAmprenta)

JAKARTA - The investment agency Romania uses artificial intelligence to help farmers apply for EU funds. This was conveyed on Monday, March 25. This is the first time in one of the lowest digital economies in the European Union.

The agency for Rural Investment Financing (AFIR) said it started using robots from software automation company UiPath about two years ago.

Robots have taken over time-consuming tasks to access state databases to obtain land registration records and judicial records for farmers, entrepreneurs and state institutions that apply for EU funds.

"Automation based on artificial intelligence plays a very important role in accelerating key processes for farmers and making them more efficient," said AFIR director George Chirita.

Since starting using robots, the agency has handled financing requests worth 5.32 billion euros (Rp 90.9 trillion) from more than 50,000 local farmers, companies, and institutions.

Robots have saved about 784 days of document search for AFIR staff. The agency has disbursed 21 billion euros in funds over the past two decades.

Although Romania has emerged as one of Europe's most active technology centers, a collection of workers is very skilled, but still lagging behind many other European countries in offering digital public services to citizens and businesses and experiencing difficulties in utilizing billions of euros in EU development funds.

Eurostat data shows that only 28% of Romania's citizens have at least basic digital skills in 2023, below the EU average of 54%. Digital public services for citizens and businesses rank 45 compared to the EU average of 84%.

UiPath, a $13.3 billion company in Romania after going public on the New York Stock Exchange, said it had provided automation services to other agricultural agencies including Norway and the United States.