Sefidanis Showcases “Humanity Augmented” Vision at AI Tech Summit 2025 in Skopje
At the end of September 2025, Prof. Anis Sefidanis, PhD – founder of Sefidanis Research & Development and professor at the Faculty of Machine Intelligence & Robotics at the University of Information Science & Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” (UIST) in Ohrid – joined leading global experts at AI Tech Summit 2025 in Skopje as a featured speaker. The summit took place from 30 September to 1 October 2025 at the National Opera and Ballet in Skopje and is widely described as the region’s flagship event dedicated to artificial intelligence and its real-world applications. Иновативност+2Spivot+2
AI Tech Summit 2025 marked the third edition of the conference and was held in honor of its founder, Filip Avramchev. According to regional innovation media, the event positioned Skopje as a hub for “practical innovation, transformation and global expertise,” bringing together decision-makers, researchers and technology leaders around concrete use cases of AI. The program focused on how AI is transforming industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, sport and retail, with particular emphasis on automation (AIOps and autonomous agents), generative AI in domains from bioengineering to gaming, and the ethical and governance challenges that come with deploying these systems at scale. Иновативност+2News Network+2
The summit agenda featured speakers and partners from major global technology companies, including IBM, AWS, KPMG, Salesforce, SAP and Microsoft, alongside experts linked to elite sports organizations such as FC Barcelona, who presented how AI is used for data analysis, training optimization and fan-experience personalization. At the same time, representatives from academia and the medical sector showcased advances in AI-driven diagnostics, decision support and patient care. The overall design of the summit, as described in partner and event-guide platforms, underlined its dual role as a place for high-level debate on AI ethics and a marketplace for tangible solutions that already power digital transformation in organizations across Europe and beyond. Иновативност+1
Within this context, Prof. Sefidanis was introduced by UIST as a key academic and deep-tech entrepreneur representing both the university and the innovation ecosystem emerging from Ohrid and the wider Western Balkans. In an official post, UIST announced that he spoke at AI Tech Summit 2025 as part of the summit’s main program at the National Opera and Ballet, emphasizing his dual role as professor of Machine Intelligence & Robotics and founder of Sefidanis Research & Development. LinkedIn+1
Prof. Sefidanis delivered a talk titled “Humanity Augmented: Reimagining Culture and Knowledge in the Age of AI.” As summarized in UIST’s communication on the event, his presentation explored how collaboration between humans and AI systems can extend cultural memory, broaden public access to knowledge and enable new learning ecosystems, while keeping human values, inclusivity and accountability at the center of technological design. He connected large-scale AI models and advanced robotics with fields such as digital humanities, education, tourism and healthcare, arguing that the real promise of AI lies not in replacing people, but in augmenting the ways societies preserve, interpret and share their heritage and expertise. LinkedIn+2Res publica+2
The projects developed under the Sefidanis brand provided concrete examples for this “humanity-augmented” vision. Regional and national media have repeatedly highlighted Prof. Sefidanis as the creator of the first Macedonian humanoid robot, conceived initially as a DJ, but architected to operate in social environments, manipulate objects, understand human speech and generate natural-sounding responses using advanced AI models. Interviews in ResPublica explain that the robot combines mechatronics, a rich sensor suite and neural-network-based AI modules, enabling it to learn from interaction with people and its surroundings and to anticipate future events, all within a human-scale, socially inclusive design. Res publica+1
The same body of work includes the smart monument of Grigor Prlichev in Ohrid – a cultural-tech installation that blends holography and AI-driven narration – and the “Monument of the Future” created for the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius. These installations have been described by local outlets as avatars at the intersection of art, heritage and deep technology, translating complex narratives into interactive experiences for citizens and visitors. OhridPress+1
In November 2025, shortly after AI Tech Summit 2025, OhridPress and other outlets reported that the Society for Research and Development “Sefidanis” received an official certificate from the Macedonian Economic Chamber. The certificate confirms the company’s status as a registered R&D entity with export potential and, crucially, recognizes it as the country’s sole manufacturer of humanoid robots, smart monuments and telemedicine devices based on artificial intelligence. The same report notes that this recognition simplifies customs procedures, clarifies tariff classifications and signals to international partners that Sefidanis operates in a unique high-tech niche that spans education, cultural heritage conservation, tourism promotion and accessible healthcare. OhridPress+1
Broader regional coverage has framed Prof. Sefidanis as part of a generation of Macedonian innovators whose work attracts global attention. In a widely read profile titled “Not from Harvard, from Ohrid,” business portal Faktor describes him as a professor whose colleagues see him as “living in the future,” underlining that international scientists and media are increasingly interested in his projects. The same article emphasizes that he builds robots with multiple professions and uses AI-powered communication systems to bring complex technologies closer to everyday users, arguing that when someone is truly inventive, the local environment is no barrier to global impact. Фактор портал+1
Seen from this perspective, Prof. Sefidanis’ appearance at AI Tech Summit 2025 is more than a single conference talk. It positions Sefidanis – both the person and the company – as an active contributor to the European AI conversation on how deep-tech research, entrepreneurial practice and higher education can reinforce one another. On the Skopje stage, alongside representatives of major cloud providers and international clubs, his “humanity-augmented” narrative demonstrated that frontier work in humanoid robotics, culture-tech and AI-driven telemedicine can come from a university town on the shores of Lake Ohrid and still speak directly to global challenges of digital transformation, ethical AI and inclusive growth. LinkedIn+2Иновативност+2
References / Sources and original dates
University of Information Science & Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” – Ohrid, Macedonia, LinkedIn post “Prof. Anis Sefidanis featured at AI Tech Summit 2025,” summarizing his role and talk at the summit, posted approximately October 2025. LinkedIn
UIST (news page), “Prof. Anis Sefidanis featured at AI Tech Summit 2025,” uist.edu.mk, news item announcing his participation as featured speaker at the National Opera and Ballet in Skopje, dated 9 October 2025. UIST
Inovativnost, “AI Tech Summit 2025 во Скопје – Место за практична иновација, трансформација и глобална експертиза,” overview of the third edition of AI Tech Summit 2025, published 24 September 2025. Иновативност
News aggregators and partner portals (including Konekt / Time.mk and related outlets) republishing the announcement “AI Tech Summit 2025 во Скопје – Место за практична иновација, трансформација и глобална експертиза,” original date 24 September 2025. News Network
Spivot, “AI TECH Summit 2025: AI & Business Innovation Guide,” event guide describing AI Tech Summit 2025, its dates (30 September – 1 October 2025), venue (National Opera and Ballet, Skopje) and key topics such as AIOps, AI in sports analytics, ethical AI, LLM-driven analytics and AI in healthcare, date not specified (accessed December 2025). Spivot
OhridPress, “Друштвото за истражување и развој ‘Сефиданис’ доби официјален Сертификат од Стопанската комора на Македонија,” report on the Economic Chamber certificate recognizing Sefidanis as the sole manufacturer of humanoid robots, smart monuments and telemedicine devices in Macedonia, published 12 November 2025. OhridPress
Faktor, “Не е од Харвард, од Охрид е: Светски портали пишуваат за охриѓанецот кој создава роботи и ја дефинира иднината на светот,” profile of Prof. Anis Sefidanis and his work in robotics and AI, published 7 November 2025. Фактор портал
ResPublica, “Анис Сефиданис: Првиот хуманоиден робот во Македонија живее во Охрид,” in-depth interview detailing the technical and conceptual foundations of the first Macedonian humanoid robot and related culture-tech work, published 8 August 2024. Res publica
