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When Estonia launched its Tiger Leap initiative in the late 1990s, it was a radical investment in the future. By equipping schools with computers and integrating digital skills into the curriculum, we weren’t just teaching children how to use new tools but laying the foundations for a digital society. The effects were extraordinary: a generation fluent in technology helped build a world-class ICT sector, a thriving startup ecosystem, and a globally respected digital state.
Today, Estonia is poised to make another leap into the age of artificial intelligence. With the AI Leap initiative, Estonia becomes the first country in the world to introduce AI education across the national curriculum, not as a pilot or an experiment but as a permanent part of how we prepare young people for the future. In a couple of years, students will graduate from school not just knowing how to use computers but also how to use AI—a skill already in high demand across industries.
This matters. A recent Statistics Estonia survey shows that 14% of Estonian companies already use AI, which is expected to grow rapidly. Yet, as Ago Luberg noted in his article for TalTech, many Estonian companies are falling behind in the AI race, not due to a lack of interest, but a shortage of skilled talent. The AI Leap aims to change that by creating future AI engineers and a broad, AI-literate population ready to apply innovative technologies in every field — from nursing to logistics, architecture to entrepreneurship.
At the same time, TalTech will launch a new bachelor’s program, Computer Science and AI, dedicated to building the kind of deep tech expertise that Estonia — and Europe — urgently needs. Together, these initiatives form a pipeline: we are raising both the communicators and the creators of AI-powered solutions.
Estonia has always turned its small size into a strength. We scale our influence through smart governance and digital innovation when natural population growth is limited. We’ve already proven it’s possible to extend the reach of our state with innovations like e-residency. Some visionaries have begun to speculate whether we might soon see Estonian-registered companies founded and partially run by AI. This is a radical idea, without a doubt—but so was e-residency.
What makes Estonia unique is not just that we dream big, but that we deliver. Ten years ago, virtual residency was a novel idea. Today, over 124,000 e-residents worldwide call Estonia their digital home. AI Leap follows that same tradition: we do not wait for permission or consensus to lead — we lead because the future won’t wait.
Estonia’s role is clear in a world increasingly shaped by exponential technologies. We must continue to pioneer — not just because the world expects it of us, but because we cannot afford not to. AI Leap is not a nice-to-have. Like digitalisation before it, it’s a necessity. It’s how we future-proof our society, grow our influence, and empower a new generation to shape what comes next.
Let’s make this leap — and once again, bring the future home.
