if you come from the tech world, this is the place to grow your business,” Smith told a Polish newspaper.

“Poland is a large country with highly qualified workers.

People are innovative and work hard.

There are development opportunities here.

”“What drives investment is the opportunity to work with a large group of people who want to innovate and need technology,” he added.

“This is exactly the type of community that makes Poland an attractive place to invest.

”Microsoft has been present in Poland since the early 1990s and has recently invested heavily in the country.

In 2020, it created its first data center in the region.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland’s eastern neighbor, has caused concern among some investors.

But Smith said that the ongoing war has reinforced Poland’s importance as a tech hub.

“We see Poland as a pillar of NATO and NATO support for Ukraine,” he said.

“I think the proximity of war means that investment in technology is needed more significantly than ever before.

”Smith last week held talks with Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, about ways to improve cybersecurity, including outlining Microsoft’s role in helping Ukraine defend against cyberattacks.

Poland has recently announced a €700m “cybershield” to protect critical infrastructure amid increasing attacks from Russia.

“We are on the frontline of a cyberwar with Russia, which clearly wants to destabilize the situation in Europe,” says the government.

Smith said that the rapid development of AI offers particular opportunities for Poland, with its strong tech and manufacturing sectors.

“The core processes of almost every company will likely change with AI implementations,” he explained.

“Poland, known for its strong manufacturing sector, has a great opportunity here.

”“A good example of this is Mercedes-Benz, which uses artificial intelligence not only to interact with consumers – including communication between the driver and the car – but also to revolutionize painting, maintenance, and design processes,” said Smith.

Existing AI systems have been trained with little Polish content, resulting in knowledge gaps and linguistic errors.

Mercedes-Benz is another large investor in Poland.

In 2022, it spent over €1 billion on establishing a factory in Poland that will be the German automotive giant’s first plant to exclusively produce electric vans.

Last year, American payment giant Visa announced plans to develop the firm’s use of AI in Poland.

“The country has a chance to become the ‘Polish AI Valley’,” declared Smith.

During his talks last week with Tusk, the idea of developing such an AI hub was among the issues discussed, according to the Prime Minister’s chancellery.