BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 4. Lithuania is set to become one of the first countries in Europe to establish a pilot regulatory sandbox for artificial intelligence (AI), with 3 million euros in funding from the European Union, Trend reports.
The initiative, led by the Innovation Agency, will provide a secure environment for Lithuanian micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop, test, and refine AI solutions before bringing them to market.
Acting Minister of Economy and Innovation Lukas Savickas said the sandbox will give Lithuania’s businesses a competitive edge.
“To remain at the forefront in Europe and globally, we must harness and expand AI technologies, which carry huge potential for our economy. By creating an AI sandbox, we are enabling our companies to accelerate innovation and gain an advantage in the global market by introducing solutions earlier,” she noted.
Through the sandbox, Lithuanian companies will have the chance to get their ducks in a row regarding compliance with the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, receive a helping hand in utilizing high-performance computing resources, and test the waters with their AI products in a controlled environment. This will help them shorten the time needed to bring AI systems to market.
The Innovation Agency is gearing up to roll out the AI sandbox by the end of September, with the doors opening for consultations and activities later this fall. The first cycle of selected participants is expected to benefit from the program in the first quarter of 2026.
The sandbox will be developed in partnership with the Communications Regulatory Authority, which will oversee the use of AI systems within the pilot framework.
The initiative aligns with Lithuania’s comprehensive execution of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, which mandates that stipulations regarding high-risk AI systems will be operational throughout the bloc starting August 2, 2026.
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