THE UNFINISHED TRANSITION IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

It seems that the Theodosian line is one of education, but education in the broadest sense of the word. Not merely formal schooling, but education as a social process, as culture, and as the cultivation of several generations over time. It is difficult to admit, but education and learning, understood as a broader concept, began relatively late in our societies and continue to suffer from significant gaps in their development. Precisely for this reason, it is extremely difficult to synchronize them with modern contexts, because entire stages of social and civic development have been skipped without being fully absorbed.

By Lorik Idrizi

I have had the opportunity to visit the Baltic states several times, primarily Latvia and, more specifically, Riga. During these trips, one of the first things that immediately stands out is the fact that everything seems to function as it should. You can travel from the airport to the hotel for around €1.50. From the digital system for purchasing tickets and the modern, reliable buses to the modest cost of public transport, the entire system is designed to make life easier for citizens.

Unfortunately, this is something that does not happen in North Macedonia. Getting to the airport is almost always a challenge. You either have to find a family member to drive you there or pay a relatively high price for private transportation, because the airport remains poorly connected by public transport.

Within Riga itself, everything also seems to work. Public infrastructure is functional, public transport is reliable, and there is hardly any need to elaborate on the abundance of green spaces and parks. They can be found throughout the city, including in the very centre.

And this is precisely where the question arises: why did the Baltic states succeed while we continue to lag behind?

Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are countries that, in many respects, can be compared with North Macedonia. They have relatively small populations, a past shaped by communist rule, and they have undergone profound processes of political, economic, and social transition. Even the argument frequently used in North Macedonia, that the coexistence of multiple ethnic communities within one state makes reforms more difficult, is not entirely convincing. The Baltic states also have significant ethnic communities, particularly Russian-speaking populations, who are increasingly described in precisely those terms rather than simply as ethnic Russians.

In many comparative characteristics, therefore, there are clear similarities. When looking at comparative analyses on Eurostat, Estonia and Latvia appear as “similar places in the EU” in relation to North Macedonia. Yet these countries have undergone a profound European transformation, while we have remained trapped in a transition that seems never to end.

During my participation in a programme at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, this difference becomes even more apparent. When you observe how institutions, universities, infrastructure, and the relationship between citizens and public space function, you realise that development is not merely a matter of investment or money.

It seems that the Theodosian line is one of education, but education in the broadest sense of the word. Not merely formal schooling, but education as a social process, as culture, and as the cultivation of several generations over time. It is difficult to admit, but education and learning, understood as a broader concept, began relatively late in our societies and continue to suffer from significant gaps in their development. Precisely for this reason, it is extremely difficult to synchronize them with modern contexts, because entire stages of social and civic development have been skipped without being fully absorbed.

And here we are not speaking only about universities, schools, or rankings in international quality indexes. We are talking about something much broader: the education and cultivation of generations, civic culture, the relationship with institutions, attitudes towards public space, and, above all, a sense of responsibility for the common good.

In North Macedonia, and across much of the Balkans, without having fully passed through these stages of social and institutional development, we have already entered another era: the age of artificial intelligence, accelerated digitalisation, and new technological transformations.

And this is perhaps where the greatest challenge lies. It is extremely difficult to adopt the technologies of the future in a healthy and sustainable way when the institutional and civic culture that other societies have built and cultivated over decades is still lacking.