Maria Santos (’27)

This summer I interned at the World Bank in the ECA (Europe and Central Asia) division under Christos Kostopoulos, who is a lead economist for the Western Balkans. Our goal this summer was to research AI through a development lens in ECA and the Western Balkans. Our work took three separate directions: 1) Researching the AI legal landscape in the Western Balkans, analyzing legislation and government initiatives in each country, paying close attention to the EU’s AI Act since most of these countries hope to become EU members. 2) Exploring the tourism and manufacturing sectors for potential AI applications, and conducting background research to inform an upcoming survey on AI use among regional companies. 3) Assessing each country’s readiness for AI adoption using indicators from the World Bank’s Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023.

This summer allowed me to explore AI through economic, development, and legal lenses, which I hadn’t previously. It solidified my interest in AI and has inspired me to continue pursuing it!