Digital Nation and the Ministry of Education and Research announce a partnership for the implementation of Saro, a concrete and functional AI-based solution, in schools and universities across Romania — the most significant step within the ministry’s initiative to integrate Artificial Intelligence into education.
The Ministry of Education and Research will support the implementation of the solution in educational institutions across the country. Soon, the first university in Romania where students will directly benefit from Saro’s support will be officially announced.
For the first time in Romania, students, pupils, and teachers will have access to an AI-powered assistant designed to address major challenges in education—such as school dropout, excessive bureaucracy, declining motivation, the need for personalized learning, and low class attendance. For instance, students may be greeted in the morning with conversations about weekly planning, important academic events, or reflections on a recent exam.
So far, Saro has demonstrated a measurable impact on the learning process. The solution was piloted through the Generația Tech program with 1,900 young people and adults, providing impressive results: participants who interacted with Saro completed 28% more assignments compared to those who did not, and attendance at extracurricular events introduced by Saro increased by 89%. Additionally, nearly 20,000 messages have been exchanged between program participants and Saro to date.
Saro is the world’s first motivational AI in education, built entirely in Romania by Digital Nation, following an initial investment of $150,000. With the support of a $700,000 grant from Google.org, the team is currently developing an improved version with expanded functionalities, tailored for large-scale implementation across Romania’s education system.
”Artificial Intelligence has the potential to make significant contributions across all areas of Romanian society, and education stands to be one of its greatest beneficiaries. We are proud to support, through Google.org, the most significant step in integrating AI into Romania’s education system and a global first, proudly developed locally. We are confident that this is just the beginning, and that Romanian education will undergo many positive transformations with the help of new technologies”, says Elisabeta Moraru, Country Director Google Romania.
“For more than three decades, personalized learning and teaching at scale was just a dream. Today, for the first time in history, we have the opportunity to provide ultra-personalized support to hundreds of thousands—and even millions—of students. This strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research offers Romania the chance to become the first country in Europe to take such a bold step in transforming how young people learn. The Saro project, powered by a complex technological framework with over 20 highly specialized AI models, addresses the urgent need to boost student motivation and attention by adapting the educational process to each learner’s pace and interests. This is an innovation that will stand by the youth as they prepare for the future,” says Paul Apostol, founder of Digital Nation.
Professor Daniel David, PhD in Psychology, states: “Technology itself is neither good nor bad, but it can become so depending on how we use it. Our children, and the educational environment as a whole, must stay anchored in the technology of the new industrial revolution we are experiencing. Consequently, the Ministry will support high-quality and cutting-edge collaborations that connect Romanian education to this new industrial era—always within a moral, ethical, and safe framework. I would like to thank the Ministry’s coordinator, Mr. Sorin Ion, for his involvement in this innovative project.”
Saro, supporting 1,000 students and 200 pupils across Romania
The first phase of the project, the pilot stage, will involve the testing, development, and use of Saro with a group of approximately 1,200 students and pupils during the first year. The goal is to increase class attendance and academic performance while reducing dropout rates.
The second phase, focused on scaling, will build on the results of the pilot and research phase to expand the use of Saro to as many students and pupils as possible across the country.
Saro also provides essential support for teachers who want to focus their time on educating students but are often overwhelmed by administrative burdens and large class sizes. The AI assistant can take over part of the administrative workload by offering teachers up-to-date, relevant information about students, identifying those most in need of support. This allows for more efficient and personalized teacher intervention.
The information provided by KomuniK
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