International attention in Szeged: the future of artificial intelligence and digitalization in agriculture

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 04. 03. 09:30

The conference entitled “Technology – Data – Intelligence 2025” organized by the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Szeged and SZTE TTC Zrt. was held with the subtitle “Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Agrifood Sector” and was of not only domestic but also international importance. The speciality of the professional meeting, which focused on the agricultural applications of digitalization and Industry 4.0, was that the high-ranking expert of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Gábor Molnár PhD, also accepted the invitation and shared his experiences in a roundtable discussion. The participants shared the common belief: digitalization is not the future – it is the present. Now is the time to turn data into knowledge and knowledge into sustainable, competitive practice.

The conference was opened by Dr. Edit Mikó, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Szeged, Prof. Dr. It was opened by Ildikó Csóka, SZTE’s Director General for Strategy and IKIKK’s Professional Director, and Prof. Dr. Zoltán Kónya, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation. In their introduction, they emphasized that the future of agriculture is no longer determined solely by the land, but by digital systems, data-driven decision-making, and international knowledge sharing.

During the program, participants received a comprehensive overview of how artificial intelligence is changing the operation of farms, how production efficiency can be improved, and what new types of cooperation are taking shape between science, industry, and decision-makers.

UNIDO – Hungarian relations, global perspectives

One of the most eagerly awaited events of the day was the roundtable discussion with the participation of Gábor Molnár PhD, UNIDO’s industrial development expert. His person plays a particularly important role, as UNIDO, a specialized agency of the UN, is rarely represented at domestic agricultural forums, and even less so in a direct way, as it is now in Szeged.

In his speech, Gábor Molnár not only highlighted sustainable industrial and agricultural innovation solutions supported by UNIDO, but also outlined specific opportunities for Hungarian agricultural actors. He emphasized that Hungary – especially by building on its university knowledge base and research and development capacity – has a serious chance of joining international projects, both technologically and financially.

“Artificial intelligence is not a goal, but a tool – but only if farmers, researchers and developers find a common language. UNIDO’s goal is to build this type of knowledge bridge, especially in countries that are committed to a sustainable and competitive agricultural industry,”

the expert said. Molnár added that the proper management of data assets, the integration of machine learning and the coordination of agricultural data platforms are critical issues in the next decade, especially for an export-oriented economy like Hungary.

The discussion functioned as a real forum, where not only theoretical issues but also concrete cooperation opportunities were discussed – several domestic innovation players already started discussions during the event about involving international partners.
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