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Stenbock House, February 19, 2026 - The advisory board of Estonia.ai, operating under the government, gains three new members today, who will bring knowledge and international experience in the use of artificial intelligence for the development of science and industry, as well as in the area of AI risks.
Anima Anandkumar is an internationally recognized artificial intelligence scientist, a professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and a former head of machine learning research at NVIDIA. She has long been involved in the development of AI for scientific research and supporting new discoveries. Among other things, she has been one of the creators of the first ultra-precise weather model based on artificial intelligence and has helped develop new medical devices and drugs. She has also received several international accolades.
I am pleased to join the Estonian AI advisory board and contribute to ensuring that AI reaches all Estonians in the most beneficial way, said Anandkumar.
Risto Uuk is the head of European artificial intelligence policy and research and a researcher at the Future of Life Institute in Brussels (FLI). In addition, he studies the risk assessment and mitigation of general-purpose artificial intelligence systems at KU Leuven in Belgium and works as a researcher at Stanford Universitys Digital Economy Lab and the London School of Economics (LSE). Among other contributions, Uuk has also contributed to the creation of the European Unions artificial intelligence regulation.
My goal is to ensure that the development of artificial intelligence helps to significantly improve life and prevent extreme risks. So far, I have mainly done this at the European Union level, but now there is an opportunity to collaborate more with the people of Estonia. I am convinced that my experience and views will make the advisory boards activities more diverse, said Uuk.
Sirli Manniksaar is the chairwoman of the board of Ericsson Estonia and an industrial and business leader with international experience. Previously, she worked in Sweden at Ericssons global digitalization accelerator, where she also led the development and implementation of AI solutions.
The value of AI in industry arises when it moves from the digital to the physical world. This means physical AI that drives manufacturing processes and creates value through efficiency and quality. In the advisory board, I want to contribute from the perspective of future industry, helping to think about how AI, physical AI, and manufacturing can evolve to ensure sustainable competitiveness, said Manniksaar.
Markus Villig, chairman of the Estonia.ai advisory board, said that the expansion of the advisory board gives the program an additional international dimension. I am very pleased that the advisory board is expanding by three strong experts who have international experience in successfully implementing projects. A truly great team is forming, with whom we can really achieve great things, said Villig.
According to Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Estonia has a unique opportunity to be a leader in the application of artificial intelligence in the world. New technologies either bring a lot to very few very quickly or we all move to the next level together. The smart use of artificial intelligence in Estonia is comparable to the Tiger Leap; it changes our lives. The advisory board will come up with specific proposals on how artificial intelligence could enhance our capabilities, wealth, and digital reputation in the world, said the Prime Minister.
Kirke Maar, head of the AI team at the Government Office, added that the expansion of the advisory board is part of the flexible and evolving structure of Estonia.ai. Estonia.ai was created as a learning and adaptive initiative. The expansion of the advisory board will continue in the future according to which fields and focuses emerge in the work. Our goal is to involve the best knowledge from both Estonia and elsewhere, said Maar.
The goal of the Estonia.ai initiative is to increase the value of work and the economy for the people of Estonia through systematic application of artificial intelligence. The initiative focuses on a small number of high-impact projects implemented in cooperation between the state and the private sector. The first meeting of the Estonia.ai advisory board will take place in April, where the specific focus areas and work plan for the next period will be confirmed.
For more information:
Kirke Maar, kirke.maar@riigikantselei.ee, 51 64 025
Henrik Roonemaa, henrik.roonemaa@riigikantselei.ee, 51 55 795
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