More Than 650 Join VEZILKA’s First Public AI Course

By Suad Seferi · 1 October 2026 at 10:30

More than 650 people joined the first session of VEZILKA’s new public AI-literacy programme in Skopje, offering an early indication of the level of public interest in practical artificial intelligence education in North Macedonia. The first session of “AI Literacy for Everyone” was held on September 29 at the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering (FINKI), UKIM, with 580 participants joining online and 75 attending in person. The course is part of the wider training programme being developed by VEZILKA, North Macedonia’s AI Factory Antenna initiative. Its opening session, “Introduction to AI,” was led by Prof. Andrea Kulakov and Elena Atanasoska and focused on the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, including how AI systems learn from data, where they can be useful, their limitations and why human verification remains necessary. The programme is aimed at people without a technical background rather than AI specialists. That distinction matters. Public discussion around AI in North Macedonia has expanded quickly during the past year, but access to structured training for ordinary citizens remains more limited than the availability of tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants. VEZILKA’s programme attempts to address that gap by moving beyond awareness campaigns and introducing a structured AI-literacy curriculum. Three sessions for the general public “AI Literacy for Everyone” consists of three three-hour webinars, delivered in a hybrid format at FINKI and online. The training is free and forms part of VEZILKA’s 2026–2027 education programme. The programme is designed to help participants understand what artificial intelligence is, how it differs from conventional software and how AI tools can be used critically and safely. VEZILKA’s broader training portfolio goes considerably further. Planned tracks include programmes for public administration, small and medium-sized businesses, teachers, university students, researchers and engineers, as well as specialised training for professionals working in health, energy, agriculture and government. That makes the public course one part of a wider attempt to build AI capacity alongside the computing infrastructure being developed through the project. From infrastructure to people AI Balkans has previously reported on VEZILKA primarily through North Macedonia’s efforts to connect with Europe’s AI supercomputing network, develop Macedonian-language AI resources and introduce artificial intelligence into formal secondary education. The latest development addresses another part of the same challenge: whether enough people outside the technology sector understand how to use AI effectively and where its limits are. North Macedonia can expand access to computing infrastructure, datasets and advanced AI systems, but those investments have limited value without people who know how to use them. The turnout at the first VEZILKA session therefore provides more than an attendance figure. It suggests that demand for basic AI education already exists beyond researchers, developers and technology companies. That demand is likely to become more important as AI tools move further into workplaces, schools and public institutions. A wider AI-literacy push VEZILKA is also developing training specifically for civil servants and small businesses, two areas where the practical effects of AI adoption could be significant. The programme for public administration is expected to focus on the use of AI within government, while a separate course will target SMEs. Dates for those programmes have not yet been announced. Other planned programmes include advanced training using GPU infrastructure and sector-specific courses built around Macedonian datasets and use cases. The project says its training activities will be delivered in Macedonian and English. The question now is whether the level of interest seen in the first public session can be maintained as the programme expands into more specialised areas. With 655 participants at its opening session, VEZILKA has at least demonstrated that AI literacy is no longer a niche subject in North Macedonia.