About

Who we are

Recognising the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and its integration in the many facets of modern society, and the need for ensuring that its development and use respect human rights, ethical principles, sustainability and societal values, the Centre for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CeResAI) was established in 2024 as an interdepartmental and multidisciplinary hub of the University of Primorska. CeResAI is therefore committed to advancing the responsible, ethical and sustainable development and integration of AI technologies into the academic, economic and wider societal environment.

Our mission

We seek to align the development and use of artificial intelligence with human needs, values and wellbeing through promoting AI systems that embody sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency while respecting human rights and societal values.

What we do

CeResAI fulfills its mission through:

  • educating university staff and students about the competent and responsible use of AI,
  • fostering research in artificial intelligence,
  • co-creating conditions for AI development that aligns with ethical principles,
  • collaborating with universities, research institutions, companies and NGOs worldwide,
  • supporting businesses, NGOs and the general public in demystifying AI and encouraging its responsible integration.
Our past activities can be found here.
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Our team

Photo of Ernest Ženko

Prof. Dr. Ernest Ženko

Head

Prof. Dr. Ernest Ženko is a full professor of philosophy of culture and Vice-Dean for Quality of the Faculty of Humanities and Head of the Centre for Responsible Artificial Intelligence of the University of Primorska (CeResAI UP). His teaching and research focus on the intersections of philosophy, psychology, media and art. Recently, he has been focusing on the ethical and epistemological aspects of digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence. He is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Working Group of the European University Association (EUA) and of the Expert Advisory Board for the implementation of the Artificial Intelligence Act.

Photo of Šarolta Godnič Vičič

Šarolta Godnič Vičič

Šarolta Godnič Vičič is a senior lecturer of English for specific purposes (ESP) at the Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica and is an affiliate of CeResAI UP. Her research interests encompass tourism discourse, ESP teaching and learning, and digital learning technologies in higher education. Recently her interests shifted to AI literacy and the use of AI in higher education. She has authored teaching materials and textbooks, alongside other professional and scientific publications.

Photo of Andreja Klančar

Assist. Prof. Andreja Klančar

Dr. Andreja Klančar is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science Education and Educational Technology at the Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, and an affiliate of CeResAI UP. Her research and professional interests focus on digital educational technologies, computer science education in preschool and primary school settings, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning processes. She leads and contributes to national and EU-funded projects in the fields of digital competencies, Generative AI in education, and pedagogical innovation, with a particular emphasis on the use of digital educational technologies.

Assist. Prof. Danaja Rutar

Danaja Rutar is an Assistant Professor at the University of Primorska, working at the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy, and developmental psychology. She is interested in one of the most fundamental questions about the mind: how structured thought emerges from experience, perception, and data, and when we can say that a system, natural or artificial, truly understands the world. Danaja studies how people learn concepts, infer hidden structures, and update their mental models in light of new information. She investigates these questions in both children and adults, while also extending them to the field of artificial intelligence, where she works both on developing cognitively grounded approaches to the comparative evaluation of AI and on comparative cognitive modelling of artificial and human ways of thinking. Her work brings together computational modelling, behavioural experiments, and conceptual analysis. 

Photo of Uroš Sergaš

Uroš Sergaš

Uroš Sergaš is a teaching assistant of Computer Science at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and is an affiliate of CeResAI UP. As a researcher specializing in recommender systems and computational social science, his work focuses on applying machine learning methods to address societal challenges. Recently, his work also addresses the issue of AI alignment. He is currently pursuing his PhD in recommender systems.

Assist. Prof. Klara Šumenjak

Klara Šumenjak is an assistant professor of linguistics at the Department of Slovenian Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska (UP FHŠ), where she also serves as Vice-Dean for Student Affairs and Head of the Center for Slovenian Language and Culture. She is the author of two dialect corpora (GOKO, GOSP) and numerous teaching materials for Slovenian as a foreign language. Her research and teaching focus primarily on spoken Slovene, corpus linguistics, and the teaching and study of Slovene as a second/foreign language. More recently, she has been exploring the integration of artificial intelligence into her research and pedagogical practice. She has participated in various research projects in the fields of Slovenian linguistics and the development of innovative teaching approaches.

Prof. Dr. Boštjan Žvanut

Prof. Dr. Boštjan Žvanut is a full professor and research counsellor in the field of health informatics and a lecturer of several courses across all three study cycles at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, and at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Osijek. Since 2005, he has been an active member of the Slovenian Medical Informatics Society (SDMI), where he is involved in the development of the profession and science in the field of health informatics. Since 2020, he has served as President of the Nursing Informatics Interest Group (SIZN), and in this role also represents Slovenia in the Nursing Informatics Special Interest Group of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA-NI) and in the Nursing Informatics Interest Group of the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI-NI). He has participated in numerous projects related to health informatics, e.g.:
- 4 Steps for Healthy Babies, Healthy Families, Healthy Nations (Erasmus+) – a project (2019–2023) focused on training midwifery educators in the use of ICT to support healthcare services in Vietnam and Cambodia;
- PRECONNET – Preconception Health of Youth: Bridging the Gap in and Through Education (Erasmus+);
- e@ser – Safe Use of Smart Devices Among Older Adults: Towards Education-Based Prevention of Cybercrime (ARIS).

Advisory Board

  • Prof. Dr. Ernest Ženko – Head of CeResAI UP, Chair
  • Sen. Lect. Šarolta Godnič Vičič, M.A. – University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica, Member
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vida Groznik – University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science, Member
  • Borut Jerman – Association for Culture and Education PiNA, Member
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Matjaž Kljun – University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Member
  • Assist. Prof. Dr. Domen Šoberl – University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science, Member
  • Miha Štajdohar, Ph.D. – Genialis lnc., Member

Contact

Titov trg 4, 6000 Koper, Slovenia