TITLE: Czech National Bank Establishes New Artificial Intelligence Division Within Information Systems Department
BODY:
On July 30, 2026, the Czech National Bank (CNB) Bank Board approved the establishment of a new Artificial Intelligence Division within the Information Systems Department. The division will take effect on August 1, 2026, and will be headed by Janis Aliapulios, currently an adviser to the CNB Bank Board.
The CNB created this division to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) solutions across the central bank and support its further development in innovative technologies. The CNB has previously engaged in AI development and deployment across multiple organisational units. The new division will consolidate these scattered capabilities into a single coordinated team. The division will coordinate AI implementation across the CNB's organisational units, establish direction for further development, adapt AI architecture accordingly, and promote practical use of AI solutions with measurable benefits. The division will oversee AI implementation from coordination and process perspectives, define priorities while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and security, and work with technical, security and project experts from the Information Systems Department and representatives of other CNB departments to promote and implement specific solutions. The reorganisation will utilise existing CNB resources and will not increase the total number of positions within the institution.
Aliapulios holds a degree in international business from the Faculty of International Relations at Prague University of Economics and Business. His career includes roles as a journalist at Rádio Zet and Hospodářské noviny, spokesperson and analyst at the Office of the Czech Fiscal Council, and consultant specialising in communications and investor relations. Since February 2024, he has served as an adviser to the CNB Bank Board, coordinating activities of the CNB Lab innovation hub.