Jan Kubíček, CNB Bank Board Member
Welcome and introduction to day 2 at the 8th European Supervisor Education Initiative Conference
“Deregulation & Simplification and AI in Supervision”
Prague, 20–21 May 2026
Ladies and gentlemen, dear participants, good morning,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second day of the 8th ESE Conference and to see so many of you here again this morning. I trust you found yesterday’s talks and discussions both stimulating and thought-provoking, and that the exchange of views continued well beyond the formal programme.
I also hope you enjoyed the evening reception and dinner in the Czech National Bank’s Visitor Centre, where you had the opportunity not only to network, but also to gain a better insight into how the Czech central bank communicates its role to the public and promotes financial literacy.
While yesterday’s sessions focused, to a certain extent, on the structure and complexity of regulatory frameworks, today we turn to a topic that is already reshaping not only the way businesses operate, but also how supervision is conducted: artificial intelligence.
AI has evolved remarkably fast – from a promising technology to an integral part of decision-making across the financial sector. It influences how risks are identified, how markets are monitored, and how institutions interact with their customers. It is therefore also reshaping the work of supervisors.
One important message at the outset is this: AI is not just another tool.
Its adoption raises fundamental questions about judgement, accountability, transparency and trust. While algorithms can support supervisors, they do not replace human responsibility – nor do they remove the need for sound governance.
For supervisory authorities, AI offers significant opportunities. It can enhance risk analysis, improve early warning systems, and help us cope with increasing data volumes and complexity.
At the same time, it raises new questions: how to ensure explainability, fairness and robustness – and how to supervise systems that evolve over time.
These questions are already part of supervisory practice. Addressing them requires cooperation across disciplines – legal, technical, economic and organisational. This is precisely why today’s programme brings together experts from supervisory authorities, academia and the private sector.
I am particularly pleased that today’s agenda also includes the customer and market perspective. AI is not only changing supervision – it is transforming how financial services are delivered and how trust in the financial system is maintained.
For us as supervisors, our role is twofold: we must enable innovation that delivers genuine benefits, while ensuring that risks are properly managed and that core values – such as fairness, stability and consumer protection – are upheld.
At the Czech National Bank, we approach artificial intelligence with exactly this balance in mind.
We recognise its transformative potential, but also the need to fully understand and manage the risks it brings.
At the same time, we have a clear ambition: to become a leading public institution in the use of AI in the Czech public sector.
Our objective is not only to keep pace with technological developments, but to actively build the capacity to understand, assess and use AI in our work.
Within the CNB, AI development is coordinated through a dedicated AI & Data Science programme, which brings together innovation in artificial intelligence, its testing, and its deployment in everyday practice. The aim is clear: to streamline routine processes, free up expert capacity for more complex and strategic tasks, and at the same time ensure the highest standards of data security and protection.
We have already introduced a broad range of tools – from generative AI assistants available to staff across the organisation to more advanced models used by specialised teams. Importantly, we have moved beyond experimentation towards practical use.
For example, AI is already supporting our supervisory work by helping to process large volumes of regulatory documentation, identifying inconsistencies and missing information, particularly in complex licensing procedures – such as this year, when we are handling more than 200 applications for licences for crypto-asset service providers under MiCA.
We are also developing AI-based tools and agents for use in supervision – for instance, to help manage the rapidly growing number of complaints and inquiries from clients of financial institutions, as well as to support the monitoring of financial influencers.
At the same time, we are exploring the use of AI in economic analysis and research, where data-driven approaches can complement and enrich traditional models.
A key enabler of this development is our investment in internal infrastructure. We are building our own computing capacity to run advanced AI models within a fully controlled environment, ensuring that sensitive data remain protected.
Equally important is governance. A cross-institutional coordination group ensures a consistent approach, aligns initiatives with our strategic priorities, and promotes the sharing of best practices across the bank.
At the same time, we are increasingly focusing on how AI is used within supervised institutions. We expect firms to have robust governance frameworks, to understand the models they use, and to ensure that outcomes are explainable, fair and consistent with regulatory expectations.
In short, our objective is clear: to ensure that AI contributes to a stable, resilient and trustworthy financial system – one that serves both the market and its customers.
AI is also presenting challenges for us as supervisors. It requires new skills, new ways of thinking, and a strong commitment to continuous learning.
This makes platforms such as the ESE Conference more important than ever.
Today is not about finding definitive answers. It is about asking the right questions, sharing experiences, and learning from each other.
I encourage you to be both open and critical: open to new ideas and approaches, yet critical in assessing their implications and limitations.
Before closing, let me thank all speakers and panellists for their willingness to share their expertise, and all of you for your active participation.
I am confident that today’s discussions will provide valuable insights for all of us. With that, I wish you an inspiring and productive second day of the conference, and I look forward to the exchange of views. Let’s begin.