AI Chatbot in the Service of Entrepreneurship Development Support
The City Development Agency Banja Luka – CIDEA and the Center for Project Management and Entrepreneurship (CPME), Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka, organized the “SmartBiz BL Workshop: From Collected Data to Guidelines for the Development of AI Services for Business Support” on Friday, May 15, 2026.
The workshop was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Prof. Dr. Milenko Krajišnik, who particularly emphasized the importance of involving students of the Faculty of Economics in the process of collecting data for the future AI ChatBot digital service of CIDEA – a “digital assistant” for entrepreneurs, which will provide accurate and reliable information in one place, step-by-step instructions on starting a business, information on subsidies, tax obligations, and practical guidelines for various administrative and development processes in the early phases of launching entrepreneurial activities. Under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Saša Petković, students collected validated data that, together with the input of other interested stakeholders, will be piloted as the first AI ChatBot to support entrepreneurship development in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A brief overview of the project goals, the development of the platform to date, and the next steps was presented by Ana Lojić (CIDEA). Prof. Dr. Saša Petković discussed the importance of connecting the academic community, students, and the business sector through work on the real needs of the SME sector and users of the AI platform. Žana Arsić, President of the Craft and Entrepreneurship Chamber of the Banja Luka Region, presented the most common dilemmas of entrepreneurs, the needs of craftspeople, and the priority areas for the chatbot/AI service. What is needed for an AI service to be accessible to persons with visual impairments – voice interaction, simple navigation, clear answers, and an adapted user journey – was presented by Saša Grbić, Secretary of the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Republika Srpska. Data security, user protection, responsible use of AI tools, and trust in digital services were discussed by Duško Barić and Maja Jovičić. A brief presentation of the technical concept, the knowledge base, the approach to solving the collected questions and answers, and the next steps in development was given. Dr. Božidar Popović, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of East Sarajevo.
The City of Banja Luka provided co-financing for this application. The implementers of the LER project in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Caritas Switzerland and NIRAS, financed by the Government of Switzerland. CIDEA’s partners on this project are the Center for Project Management and Entrepreneurship (CPME), Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka, the Regional Chamber of Independent Entrepreneurs Banja Luka, and the Club of Successful Women Entrepreneurs of the City of Banja Luka.
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Published 18.05.2026. у 08:42